Rule 1301.Scope.
Last verified June 30, 2026
Full Text of Rule 1301
Plain-English Summary
This rule marks out where the compulsory-arbitration chapter applies. Its procedures govern actions submitted to compulsory arbitration under a local rule adopted pursuant to the Judicial Code’s arbitration section.
Many counties require cases below a dollar threshold to go first to a panel of lawyer-arbitrators, and this chapter supplies the uniform statewide framework for those proceedings. The Official Note explains it continues prior practice in the absence of a Supreme Court rule. Fixing the scope tells litigants when the arbitration rules, rather than ordinary trial practice, control the path of the case.
Frequently Asked Questions
What cases does compulsory arbitration cover?
Civil cases submitted to arbitration under a local rule adopted pursuant to Section 7361 of the Judicial Code, typically those under the district's dollar limit.
Official Note
Official Note: This continues the existing practice under which in the absence of a rule of the Supreme Court each common pleas court may determine whether there shall be arbitration in its judicial district, the kind of cases to be arbitrated and the jurisdictional amount within the limits fixed by Section 7361(b) of the Judicial Code.