Rule 2975.Application of Amendments to Pending Actions.

Last amended April 1, 1996 · Last verified June 30, 2026

In one sentenceRule 2975 applies the 1996 amendments that barred confessed possession judgments on residential leases, and those that changed execution on confessed possession judgments, only to actions and executions commenced after the effective date the Supreme Court set.

Full Text of Rule 2975

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(a) The amendments promulgated in 1996 to the rules of civil procedure prohibiting the entry of a judgment by confession for possession in connection with a residential lease shall apply to actions commenced after the effective date set forth in the Order of the Supreme Court.

(b) The amendments promulgated in 1996 to the rules governing execution on a judgment entered by confession for possession shall apply to executions commenced after the effective date set forth in the Order of the Supreme Court.

End

Plain-English Summary

Rule 2975 does for the possession chapter what Rule 2961 does for money judgments. The 1996 amendments prohibiting a confessed judgment for possession in connection with a residential lease apply to actions commenced after the effective date set in the Supreme Court’s order. The 1996 amendments governing execution on a confessed judgment for possession apply to executions commenced after that date. The test for each is when the action or the execution began.

The Official Notes list the amended rules. The prohibition came through Rules 2970 and 2971, which now exclude a residential lease executed by a natural person and require the complaint to aver that the judgment is not being entered against a natural person in connection with such a lease. The execution and relief changes came through Rules 2973.1 to 2973.3 and the forms in Rules 2974.1 to 2974.3. This rule was itself amended by the order of April 1, 1996, effective July 1, 1996.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do the 1996 amendments address here?

They limit the entry of judgment by confession for possession in the circumstances the amendments specify.

Do the amendments reach pending cases?

No. The rule applies them to actions and executions commenced after the effective date set forth in the Order of the Supreme Court.

Official Note

Official Note: The amendments to Rules 2970 and 2971 relate to the prohibition against the entry of a judgment by confession arising from a consumer credit transaction.

Official Note: The amendments to Rules 2973.1 through 2973.3 and 2974.1 through 2974.3 relate to execution upon a judgment entered by confession and relief from the judgment.

Amendment History

The provisions of this Rule 2975 rescinded December 14, 1979, effective February 1, 1980, 10 Pa.B. 31; amended April 1, 1996, effective July 1, 1996, 26 Pa.B. 1814. Immediately preceding text appears at serial page (146748).

Source & verification. Rule text, the Official Note, and the amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Pennsylvania Code, Title 231, the official compilation of rules adopted by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. Last verified June 30, 2026. · Official text

Also known as: application of amendments confession possession1996 possession amendments