These rules govern the procedure in sheriff’s interpleader when tangible per- sonal property levied upon pursuant to a writ of execution is claimed to be the property of a person other than the defendant in the execution.
Rule 3201.Scope.
Adopted August 30, 1965 · Last amended April 12, 1999 · Last verified June 30, 2026
In one sentenceThese rules set the procedure for sheriff's interpleader — the process that resolves who owns tangible personal property the sheriff has levied on when someone other than the defendant claims it.
Full Text of Rule 3201
Plain-English Summary
This rule opens the sheriff’s-interpleader chapter, which handles a recurring problem in execution: the sheriff levies on goods to satisfy a judgment, but a third party says the goods are theirs, not the debtor’s. The chapter’s procedures govern that dispute, letting the claimant assert ownership and the execution creditor contest it before the property is sold.
The Official Note ties venue to the county where the levy was made. Interpleader keeps the sheriff out of the middle by giving the competing claims an orderly path to resolution.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is sheriff's interpleader?
It is the procedure for deciding who owns tangible personal property the sheriff levied on when a third party claims it belongs to them rather than the judgment debtor.
When does it apply?
When tangible personal property levied upon under a writ of execution is claimed to be the property of someone other than the defendant.
Official Note
Official Note: See Execution Rule 3122 limiting venue of interpleader to the county where the levy is made. These rules do not apply where tangible property is attached under Rule 3108(a) rather than levied upon. If the garnishee claims the property the garnishee may interplead under Rules 2301 et seq. If an outside person claims the property, such person may intervene in the garnishment proceedings or the garnishee may defend the attachment by asserting the outside person’s title and denying that the garnishee holds any property of the defendant.
Amendment History
The provisions of this Rule 3201 adopted August 30, 1965, effective March 1, 1966; amended April 8, 1997, effective July 1, 1997, 27 Pa.B. 2045; amended April 12, 1999, effective July 1, 1999, 29 Pa.B. 2281. Immediately preceding text appears at serial page (243938).
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: sheriff's interpleaderthird-party property claimclaim to levied property