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Summary Appeals
A defendant who has been found guilty or pled guilty to a summary conviction, either traffic or non-traffic, at the District Court may file an appeal to the Court of Common Pleas within 30 days of the date of the guilty disposition or guilty plea. A Notice of Summary Appeal form must be filed at the Clerk of Courts office. For assistance, see sample Notice of Summary of Appeal Form.
If appealing more than one citation, use Notice of Summary Appeal Addendum to add other citations
More than one citation may be appealed if multiple citations were issued at the same incident and were disposed of by District Court. All correct Citation numbers and District Court numbers should be listed on the Notice of Summary Appeal Form.
The following information is needed to complete the Notice of Summary Appeal form:
If found not guilty, no court costs will be assessed. If you have paid monies at the District Court, you will receive a refund within a few weeks following your hearing.
If more than thirty days have passed since the date of disposition (guilty plea or trial) by the District Court, a “Petition for Leave to File Summary Appeal Nunc Pro Tunc” may be filed explaining why you were unable to timely file a summary appeal. The purpose of the petition is to request that the court grant you permission to file a late appeal. Petitions are filed under a Summary Appeal type (SA), along with a filing fee, and will be assigned a corresponding case file (CP-15-SA-000_____-201_). Next, the petition will be brought before a judge for a hearing. If granted, a summary appeal may be filed in the Clerk of Court’s office under the same docket number. If denied, the conviction imposed by the District Court will be re-imposed along with court costs and fees. Petitions are to be made by pro se letter. For assistance, see sample.
If you are unable to afford the Summary Appeal filing fee, the fee may be waived by order of the court pending satisfactory evidence providing proof of inability to pay. A request to Proceed In Forma Pauperis (IFP) must be filed in the Clerk of Court’s office, along with a completed Notice of Summary Appeal Form, and will be assigned a corresponding case file (CP-15-MD-000_____-201_). The In Forma Pauperis petition must be completed with all financial information as requested. After a hearing, if granted by the court, the summary appeal filing fee will be waived and the appeal will be processed. The appeal will then be assigned a Summary Appeal (SA) docket number.
If appealing more than one citation, use Notice of Summary Appeal Addendum to add other citations
More than one citation may be appealed if multiple citations were issued at the same incident and were disposed of by District Court. All correct Citation numbers and District Court numbers should be listed on the Notice of Summary Appeal Form.
The following information is needed to complete the Notice of Summary Appeal form:
- Amount of money paid to the District Court
- Charges
- Citation number
- Court number
- DJ docket number
- Hearing date found guilty
- Name and address of District Court
- Name and address of police officer
If found not guilty, no court costs will be assessed. If you have paid monies at the District Court, you will receive a refund within a few weeks following your hearing.
Petition for Leave to File Summary Appeal Nunc Pro Tunc
If more than thirty days have passed since the date of disposition (guilty plea or trial) by the District Court, a “Petition for Leave to File Summary Appeal Nunc Pro Tunc” may be filed explaining why you were unable to timely file a summary appeal. The purpose of the petition is to request that the court grant you permission to file a late appeal. Petitions are filed under a Summary Appeal type (SA), along with a filing fee, and will be assigned a corresponding case file (CP-15-SA-000_____-201_). Next, the petition will be brought before a judge for a hearing. If granted, a summary appeal may be filed in the Clerk of Court’s office under the same docket number. If denied, the conviction imposed by the District Court will be re-imposed along with court costs and fees. Petitions are to be made by pro se letter. For assistance, see sample.
Petition to Proceed In Forma Pauperis
If you are unable to afford the Summary Appeal filing fee, the fee may be waived by order of the court pending satisfactory evidence providing proof of inability to pay. A request to Proceed In Forma Pauperis (IFP) must be filed in the Clerk of Court’s office, along with a completed Notice of Summary Appeal Form, and will be assigned a corresponding case file (CP-15-MD-000_____-201_). The In Forma Pauperis petition must be completed with all financial information as requested. After a hearing, if granted by the court, the summary appeal filing fee will be waived and the appeal will be processed. The appeal will then be assigned a Summary Appeal (SA) docket number.