Rule 2326.Definitions.
Adopted June 7, 1940 · Last amended December 16, 2003 · Last verified June 30, 2026
Full Text of Rule 2326
Plain-English Summary
The intervention chapter lets a nonparty step into a pending case, and its one definition sets which cases qualify. An “action” is any civil action or proceeding brought in or appealed to any court of record that is subject to these rules. A case on appeal to a court of record counts as well as one begun there.
Rule 2327 then states when a person not a party shall be permitted to intervene, subject to these rules, at any time during the pendency of an action: when a judgment would impose on that person a liability to indemnify a party, when the person could be adversely affected by a distribution of property in the court’s custody, when the person could have joined or been joined as an original party, or when the determination may affect any legally enforceable interest of the person. Rules 2328 to 2330 cover the petition, the court’s action on it, and the intervener’s status.
The rule was adopted June 7, 1940, effective February 3, 1941, and last amended effective July 1, 2004.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why define “action” at the start of the chapter?
Does intervention apply to appeals as well as original filings?
Amendment History
The provisions of this Rule 2326 adopted June 7, 1940, effective February 3, 1941; amended January 4, 1952, effective July 1, 1952; amended December 16, 2003, effective July 1, 2004, 34 Pa.B. 9. Immediately preceding text appears at serial page (257835).