42 Pa.C.S. § 102

This is the official text of 42 Pa.C.S. § 102, part of Pennsylvania’s Pa.C.S — part of the compiled statutory law of Pennsylvania, published by the state as "Pa.C.S." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.

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Definitions.

Official statutory text

Subject to additional definitions contained in subsequent provisions of this title which are applicable to specific provisions of this title, the following words and phrases when used in this title shall have, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the meanings given to them in this section:

"Action." Any action at law or in equity.

"Administrative judge." The administrative judge of a division of a court, determined or selected as prescribed by general rule.

"Administrative Office." The office of the Court Administrator of Pennsylvania as specified in section 1902 (relating to Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts).

"Administrative staff." All individuals employed in the business of a court, including the personnel of the office of the clerk of the court of common pleas, but the term does not include judicial officers or their personal staff. The term includes the clerks or prothonotaries of the Supreme Court, the Superior Court and the Commonwealth Court and their staffs.

"Affidavit." Includes an unsworn document containing statements of fact and a statement by the signatory that it is made subject to the penalties of 18 Pa.C.S. § 4904 (relating to unsworn falsification to authorities).

"Appeal." Any petition or other application to a court for review of subordinate governmental determinations. The term includes an application for certiorari under section 934 (relating to writs of certiorari) or under any other provision of law. Where required by the context, the term includes proceedings on petition for review.

"Appellate court." Includes the Supreme Court, the Superior Court and the Commonwealth Court.

"Appointive judicial officers." Arbitrators, auditors, commissioners to take oaths and depositions, custodians, examiners, guardians, masters, mental health review officers, receivers, referees, trustees, viewers and other like officers.

"Branch." As applied to a court of common pleas in a multicounty judicial district, an administrative unit composed

of those members of the staff of the court from a particular county within the judicial district.

"Central staff." All individuals employed in the business of the unified judicial system, but the term does not include magisterial district judges or their personal staff or personnel of the courts.

"Clerk." As applied to a court of common pleas or the Philadelphia Municipal Court, the personnel of the office of the clerk of the court of common pleas, and as applied to any other court, the administrative staff responsible for the receipt of documents transmitted to the court by litigants and the transmission of notice of orders entered by and process issued under the authority of the court.

"Clerk of the courts." The officer exercising the powers and performing the duties specified in Subchapter C of Chapter 27 (relating to clerks of the courts). The term includes the Clerk of Quarter Sessions of Philadelphia.

"Clerk of the orphans' court division." The officer exercising the powers and performing the duties specified in

Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site

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About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.