Court Rules

Court-wide rules

Applies court-wide

These 591 rules apply across Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas. Where this judge's own standing orders above address the same topic, the judge's requirement controls.

Filing Requirements

All 247
  • Applies to
    Proposed order

    The proposed order must authorize the petitioner to enter a settlement and release, state the total settlement amount, and completely describe the distribution of those funds as proposed in the petition.

  • Applies to
    Preliminary objections

    A request for discovery needed to dispose of Preliminary Objections must be included in the Preliminary Objections or the answer, and the Assigned Judge must address it in the scheduling order.

  • Applies to
    Certificate of readiness

    A party filing a Certificate of Readiness must use the most current form, and failure to do so will result in rejection.

Service

All 99
  • Applies to
    Notice of relocation

    A relocating party must send a Notice of Relocation and Counter-Affidavit to every other person with custodial rights.

  • Applies to
    Post trial motion

    Copies of civil post-trial motions must be filed with the Prothonotary, delivered to the trial judge, and served upon all adverse parties.

  • The filing party must serve filed documents under the applicable rules of court because the EFS does not provide a service component.

Filing Timing

All 74

  • Within five business days after court proceedings conclude, the Court Crier must file all documentary exhibits and related photographs with the records office.

  • The external hard drive for digital exhibits must be submitted with the Exhibits and Index of Exhibits when filing with the records office.

  • Documents filed electronically are due by 11:59:59 p.m. EST/EDT on their deadline date.

Fees

All 67
  • Applies to
    E-filing fees

    E-filing fees may be paid by Discover, MasterCard, or Visa credit card.

  • Applies to
    Future filing

    The Prothonotary does not accept advance deposits for future filing fees.

  • Payment errors must be reported to the Prothonotary’s Office as soon as possible and no later than 45 days after the payment date.

More categories

View all Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas rules
About Judge William T. Tully

Judge Tully is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, (1979) and the Dickinson School of Law (1982). While attending law school, he was a law clerk for the Pennsylvania Turnpike Administration. He was a Deputy District Attorney for Dauphin County and eventually ascended to the position of First Assistant District Attorney. He was a partner in the firm of Mancke, Wagner, Hershey and Tully, and later established a private law practice. He served on the Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing (1996-2007), and was elected to the Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas in 2013. He has handled cases across the spectrum of assignments but had primary responsibility for Juvenile Court for three years before being assigned primarily to the adult criminal division. His favorite current assignment is Dauphin County’s Veteran’s CourtHe is married to his wife, Lori, and resides in Lower Paxton Township. His daughter, Erin, graduated Notre Dame in 2016 and the University of Pennsylvania Medical School in 2020, and is currently doing her medical residency at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. His middle daughter, Allison, is a graduate of the University of Delaware and graduated as a Physician’s Assistant from the Thomas Jefferson School of Medicine and is doing a residency in Emergency Medicine at DuPont’s Children’s Hospital in Wilmington, Delaware. His youngest daughter, Christine, recently graduated from Michigan State University and will be participating in a graduation nursing fellowship at the Hershey Medical Center in emergency medicine.

**Address:** Dauphin County Courthouse, 101 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101 **Telephone:** (717) 780-6546 **Fax:** (717) 780-6454 **Courtroom:** #8, Fifth Floor **Judicial Assistant:** Denise Garver **Law Clerk:** Pam Parascandola **Crier:** Jessica Powell

Common questions about Judge William T. Tully's rules

What must be included with certificate of readiness filings before Judge William T. Tully?

The rule identifies required filing content or certificates. The Certificate of Readiness must be personally signed by the filing counsel of record.

View ruleSource: page 1, section INSTRUCTIONS

What must be included with waiver and acknowledgment of notice filings before Judge William T. Tully?

The rule identifies required filing content or certificates. The defense attorney must certify that the defendant was advised of PA.R.Crim.P. Rule 600 rights and the effect of the waiver, and that the defendant unconditionally waives the right to a prompt trial.

View ruleSource: page 1, section WAIVER AND ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF RECEIPT OF NOTICE

How do I request an adjournment or extension before Judge William T. Tully?

Advance notice is not fully stated in the structured details. The request must include reason for request. A defense continuance motion must identify at least one stated reason for the requested continuance.

View ruleSource: page 1, section Defense Motion for Continuance

What service or proof of service rules apply before Judge William T. Tully?

The rule addresses service method, recipient, or timing requirements. The original criminal jury trial Certificate of Readiness must be filed, and a copy must be served on opposing counsel or the self-represented defendant and Court Administration.

View ruleSource: page 1, section INSTRUCTIONS
Complete rules summary for Judge William T. Tully

The original criminal jury trial Certificate of Readiness must be filed, and a copy must be served on opposing counsel or the self-represented defendant and Court Administration.

The Certificate of Readiness must be personally signed by the filing counsel of record.

When co-defendants are tried together, a Certificate of Readiness should be filed for each defendant.

The defendant’s filing must be served by email on the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office as required by Pa.R.Crim.P. 576(B)(4).

The defense attorney must certify that the defendant was advised of PA.R.Crim.P. Rule 600 rights and the effect of the waiver, and that the defendant unconditionally waives the right to a prompt trial.

The filing includes a certificate of compliance attesting compliance with Pennsylvania’s Public Access Policy for filing confidential information and documents.

A defense continuance motion must identify at least one stated reason for the requested continuance.

The continuance motion must state how many times the court date has previously been rescheduled since formal arraignment or the waiver-of-formal-arraignment date.

The continuance motion must identify the assigned District Attorney and indicate whether the District Attorney objects, does not object, or has not responded after receiving a copy of the motion.

A defense continuance motion must identify the scheduled court appearance and the new date requested through the continuance.

The defendant’s attorney certifies that the foregoing documents are served by email on the Dauphin County District Attorney’s Office under Pa.R.Crim.P. 576(B)(4).

The first two uncontested continuance requests will be granted if the continuance form is completed and submitted directly to Court Administration at least two business days before the hearing when practicable.

A continuance request beyond the first two must be made by a written motion before the court date that states the procedural history, gives a reasonable proposed continuance date, and states the specific reasons for the request.

A continuance request made in court on the hearing date must state the specific reason on the record, provide a sufficiently distant proposed date, and explain why no written motion was filed.

Every criminal case scheduled for trial without a Miscellaneous Court trial request must use the Certificate of Trial Readiness form with certificates of service and compliance, and no further readiness certificate is required once the case is listed for trial.

The foregoing documents must be served by email, and the filer must certify compliance with Pennsylvania Criminal Procedure Rule 576(B)(4).

The filing must include a certificate of compliance stating that it complies with Pennsylvania's Public Access Policy for filing confidential information and documents.

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