Court of Common Pleas of Bucks County, Pennsylvania Filing Fees and Waivers

CRITICALCivil cases

Applies to

Judgment entry

The jury fee must be paid before judgment is entered.

provided that no such judgment shall be entered until after payment of the jury fee.

CRITICALCivil cases

Applies to

Motion

Each motion under the rule must be accompanied by the required deposit unless the Court directs that the County pay for transcription of the trial record.

Unless the Court has directed that the trial record be transcribed at the cost of the County, each motion filed under this rule shall be accompanied by a deposit as required under Bucks County Rule of Civil Procedure 227.3*(c).

CRITICALCivil cases

Applies to

Transcript

The party requesting transcription must pay the deposit required by Bucks County Rule of Judicial Administration 4007(C).

*(c) The party requesting the transcribing of the record or any part thereof shall pay a deposit in accordance with Bucks County Rule of Judicial Administration 4007(C), and certify that the same has been paid upon the designation notice aforesaid.

CRITICALCriminal cases

Applicable filing fees must be paid using procedures established by the Clerk of Courts, at the time and in the amount required by the governing authority or fee schedule.

Applicable filing fees shall be paid through procedures established by the Clerk of Courts and at the same time and in the same amount as required by statute, Court rule or order, or published fee schedule.

CRITICALCivil cases

Applies to

Transcript

The party requesting a transcript for a motion for post-trial relief must pay its cost.

*(a)The party requesting a transcript of the records or any portion thereof in a motion for post-trial relief shall pay the cost thereof.

CRITICALCivil cases

Applies to

Certification of active status

A certification of active status must be accompanied by any fee chargeable under the Prothonotary’s prevailing fee bill.

Any filing of a certification of active status shall be accompanied by such filing fee as may be allowed by law to be charged by the office of the Prothonotary in accordance with the prevailing fee bill of said office.

CRITICAL

Requesting parties must pay a non-refundable deposit equal to 95% of the estimated transcript cost by money order, certified check, or law firm check payable to the County of Bucks.

(C) The requesting party or parties shall make a non-refundable deposit in the amount of 95% of the estimated cost of the transcript. The deposit shall be paid by money order, certified check or law firm check made payable to the County of Bucks.

CRITICALCivil cases

Applies to

Copies of notes

Parties who want copies of the notes must pay the prevailing statutory rate.

Parties wishing copies of notes must pay for copies at the prevailing statutory rate.

CRITICALCivil cases

Applies to

Reactivation order

An order reactivating a terminated matter is not effective until the applicable commencement-of-actions fee is paid to the Prothonotary.

No order authorizing reactivation of any matter terminated pursuant to these Rules shall be effective except upon payment of the prevailing fee for commencement of actions chargeable by the office of the Prothonotary.

CRITICALCivil cases

Fee

$15

Applies to

Stenographer attendance

The moving party must pay the stenographer $15 per day after the hearing, unless the testimony is transcribed.

The moving party shall pay an attendance fee of $15 per diem to the stenographer upon completion of the hearing. However, where the testimony is transcribed, there shall be no attendance fee.

CRITICAL

The court reporter distributes copies to ordering parties after any remaining transcript balance is paid.

(F) The court reporter shall deliver the original transcript to the appropriate filing office and distribute copies to all ordering parties upon payment of any balance owed.

CRITICALCivil cases

Applies to

Original notes of testimony

The county bears the cost of preparing the original notes of testimony, which are for the exclusive use of the master and the Court.

When the testimony is transcribed, the costs of preparation of the original notes of testimony shall be born by the county, said notes to be for the exclusive use of the master and the Court.

WARNINGCivil cases

Applies to

Transcript

The County bears the cost of the reporter's transcription and copies only when the trial judge specially orders them in that case.

*(d) The official court reporter shall transcribe and file the stenographic transcript of the trial and furnish copies thereof to the parties at the cost of the County only when ordered to do so specially in each particular case by the trial judge, either by direction dictated upon the stenographic record of the trial, by endorsement on the filed motion aforesaid or by separate written order.

WARNINGCivil cases

Upon application, an appellant who improves their position through a jury verdict or a judge's decision, or by at least 10% of the award's principal through settlement, is entitled to a refund of two-thirds of the appeal fees.

provided however, that if the appellant should improve his position by reason of a jury verdict, or by a judge sitting without a jury, or by reason of a settlement in which the appellant improves his position by an amount equal to or greater than 10% of the principal amount of the award, then the appellant, upon application to the Court, shall be entitled to a refund of two-thirds of the fees paid on appeal.

WARNINGCivil cases

Applies to

Transcript

When an objection requests transcription of an additional portion, the trial judge may allocate its cost among any or all parties or the County if the parties do not agree and the matter is not otherwise covered by the cited rules.

Where any other party files an objection requesting that an additional portion of the record be transcribed, the trial judge, in the absence of agreement by the parties, shall in his/her discretion and to the extent this matter is not covered in the Pennsylvania Rules of Judicial Administration 4001 et seq., assign the cost of such additional transcribing to any or all parties or to the County.

WARNINGCivil cases

Fee

300

The total fees per case under this rule are $300.

The total fees per case under this rule are declared to be $300 for the purpose of this section,

WARNING

Fee

1

Applies to

Transcript

An approved complex-trial surcharge of $1.00 per page applies in qualifying unusually complex cases requiring significant expansion of the court reporter’s dictionary.

Rule 4008. Transcript Costs Payable by a Requesting Party Other than the Commonwealth or a Subdivision Thereof (A) Costs (3) A Complex Trial Surcharge of $1.00 per page will be applied in cases such as mass tort, medical malpractice or other unusually complex litigation where there is a need for the court reporter to significantly expand his or her dictionary, when approved by the presiding Judge.

WARNINGCriminal cases

Applies to

Bail

When the bail bond obligations are complete, the Clerk of Courts returns the deposit minus administrative costs calculated under the stated formula, capped at the amount of bail.

When the conditions of the bail bond have been performed and the accused has been discharged from all obligations of the bail bond, the Clerk of Courts shall return the amount deposited less the balance to be retained by the Clerk of Courts as administrative costs, which shall be $25.00 plus three percent (3%) of the first $1,000.00 of bail posted and two percent (2%) of any amount above $1,000.00 of bail posted, not to exceed the amount of the bail.

WARNING

Fee

0.75

Applies to

Paper transcript ordered by multiple parties

(C) When more than one ordering party requests a transcript, the transcript cost plus $0.75 per page (paper format) and/or $0.50 per page (electronic copy/.pdf) shall be divided equally among the ordering parties.

(C) When more than one ordering party requests a transcript, the transcript cost plus $0.75 per page (paper format) and/or $0.50 per page (electronic copy/.pdf) shall be divided equally among the ordering parties.

WARNINGCriminal cases

Applies to

Bail

The Magisterial District Judge must forward a withheld retention fee to the Clerk of Courts immediately upon receipt.

The retention fee withheld by the Magisterial District Judge shall be forwarded immediately to the Clerk of Courts upon receipt.

WARNING

Fee

0.75

Applies to

Paper copy of previously ordered transcript

A paper copy of a previously ordered, transcribed, and filed transcript costs $0.75 per page.

(D) A request for a copy of any transcript previously ordered, transcribed and filed of record shall be made by telephone, letter or email to the Chief Court Reporter and shall be provided at the cost of $0.75 per page (paper format) and/or $0.50 per page (electronic copy/.pdf).

WARNINGCriminal cases

Applies to

Bail

Retention fees withheld by the Magisterial District Judge or Clerk of Courts are for County use and must be received and accounted for by the Clerk of Courts.

The retention fee withheld by the Magisterial District Judge or by the Clerk of Courts shall be for the use of the County and shall be received and accounted for by the Clerk of Courts.

WARNING

Fee

2.5

Applies to

Ordinary electronic transcript

Electronic ordinary transcripts may cost up to $2.50 per page for requesting parties other than the Commonwealth or its subdivisions.

Rule 4008. Transcript Costs Payable by a Requesting Party Other than the Commonwealth or a Subdivision Thereof (A) Costs (1) The costs payable by a requesting party, other than the Commonwealth or a subdivision thereof, for a transcript in electronic format (.pdf) shall not exceed: (a) ordinary transcript, $2.50 per page; (b) expedited transcript, $3.50 per page; (c) daily transcript, $4.50 per page; and (d) same day delivery, $6.50 per page.

WARNINGCriminal cases

Applies to

Bail

Administrative costs retained by the court are considered earned when the bail undertaking is executed.

The monies retained by the court shall be considered as earned at the time the bail undertaking is executed.

WARNING

Fee

0.25

Applies to

Bound paper transcript

A bound paper transcript costs the applicable electronic transcript rate plus a $0.25-per-page surcharge.

Rule 4008. Transcript Costs Payable by a Requesting Party Other than the Commonwealth or a Subdivision Thereof (A) Costs (2) When the transcript is prepared in bound paper format, the costs shall be in accordance with paragraph (1) relating to electronic format (.pdf) plus a surcharge of $0.25 per page.

WARNINGCivil cases

Applies to

Arbitration appeal fees

Fees deposited with the Prothonotary under Bucks County Rule of Civil Procedure 1308*(d), including funds already held, must be paid to the specified account on the first business day of each month.

it is hereby ordered and directed that all fees deposited with the Prothonotary pursuant to Bucks County Rule of Civil Procedure 1308*(d) are to be paid over to Account No. 0140-370-36 on the first business day of each month. This includes funds presently in the custody of the Prothonotary.

INFOCivil cases

No fee is required for having the Prothonotary mark a case as certified active.

The Prothonotary, upon receipt of a written request from any party or attorney shall mark the docket to indicate that the case has been certified as being an active case without requiring the payment of any fee.

INFO

Fee

3 $

Applies to

Daily delivery original transcript

The court pays $3.00 per page for a daily-delivery original transcript.

(5) daily delivery of the transcript: $3.00 per page for the original and $0.90 per page for each additional copy; and

INFO

Fee

0.3 $

Applies to

Regular delivery duplicate original transcript

The court pays $0.30 for a duplicate original with regular delivery.

(3) regular delivery of a duplicate original: $0.30;

INFO

Fee

1.25 $

Applies to

Regular delivery original transcript

The court pays $1.25 per page for the original transcript with regular delivery.

(1) regular delivery of the original transcript: $1.25 per page;

INFOCivil cases

The Clerk accepts payment for all filings by credit card, debit card, or another payment form the Clerk approves and adopts.

The Clerk shall accept payment for all filings via credit and debit cards, or by any other form of payment approved and adopted by the Clerk.

INFO

Fee

2 $

Applies to

Expedited delivery original transcript

The court pays $2.00 per page for an expedited original transcript.

(4) expedited delivery of the transcript: $2.00 per page for the original, and $0.60 per page for each additional copy;

INFO

Fee

3.5 $

Applies to

Same day delivery original transcript

The court pays $3.50 per page for a same-day-delivery original transcript.

(6) same-day delivery of the transcript: $3.50 per page for the original and $1.00 per page for each additional copy.

INFO

Fee

0.3 $

Applies to

Regular delivery additional transcript copy

The court pays $0.30 per page for each additional copy with regular delivery.

(2) regular delivery of each additional copy: $0.30 per page;