Philadelphia Cnty. C.P. CP-Orphans' Division Rule 4.7A

(1) Electronic Filing. Parties shall file all legal papers with the Clerk by means of

electronic filing.

(2) Website, Username and Password.

(a) Website. The Orphans' Court Electronic Filing System shall be

available at all times at the Court's website address,

http://courts.phila.gov, or at such other website as the Court may

designate from time to time.

(b) Username and Password. To obtain access to the Orphans' Court

Electronic Filing System, counsel or a party not represented by counsel

("filing party") shall apply for a Username and Password at the Court's

website.

(3) Electronic Filing of Legal Paper.

(a) A filing party shall file all legal papers and exhibits at the Court's

website.

(b) The Clerk shall not maintain a hard copy of any legal paper or exhibit

filed electronically under this Rule.

(c) A hard copy of the legal paper shall be signed and, as required,

verified prior to the electronic filing of the legal paper, and the filing party

shall retain such hard copy as required by Pa. O.C. Rule 4.7(c).

(4) Confidential Information. Confidential Documents

(a) When a filing (including exhibits) contains any of the confidential

information listed in Section 7 of the Public Access Policy of the Unified

Judicial System of Pennsylvania: Case Records of the Appellate and Trial

Courts (“UJS Case Records Policy”), the filer shall file a Redacted Version

and an Unredacted Version of the filing as provided in Phila.R.J.A. No.

*401.

(b) The confidential documents listed in Section 8.0 A of the UJS Case

Records Policy shall be filed with a Confidential Document Form, as

provided in Phila.R.J.A. No. *401.

(c) The Clerk shall provide public access to the Redacted Version of the

document in accordance with Sections 9 and 10 of the UJS Case Records

Policy and Phila.R.J.A. No. *401.

(d) The Parties and their attorneys shall be solely responsible for

complying with the provisions of the UJS Case Records Policy and

Phila.R.J.A. No. *401.

(5) Filing Date.

(a) Immediately upon receipt of the legal paper, the Clerk shall provide the

filing party with email notification that the legal paper has been received

by the Court's Electronic Filing System.

(b) Within six (6) business hours of receipt of the legal paper, the Clerk

shall provide the filing party with email notification that the legal paper has

been accepted for filing or rejected.

(c) A legal paper accepted for filing shall be deemed to have been filed as

of the date and time it was received by the Court's Electronic Filing

System. If a legal paper is rejected, the Clerk shall specify the reason.

Subject to the provisions of subsection (d), a rejected legal paper shall be

deemed as not having been filed.

(d) Any filing party for whom the failure of the Court's website or the

erroneous rejection of a legal paper resulted in an untimely filing may file a

petition requesting that the legal paper be deemed filed as of the

submission date. Such petition shall state the date and time of the alleged

failure or rejection. A petition alleging failure of the Court's website shall

state why the legal paper could not be timely filed in person in the Clerk's

office. A petition alleging erroneous rejection of a legal paper shall state

why the rejection was erroneous and why the legal paper could not be

timely re-submitted.

(6) Automation Fee. Payment of Filing Fees.

(a) The Clerk shall collect, in addition to all other applicable fees, an

automation fee of $10.00 for each legal paper for which a filing fee is now

charged.

(b) The Clerk is authorized to charge the sum of $1.00 per page for each

page of a legal document or exhibit which is not filed in pdf.

(c) All fees collected pursuant to this Rule shall be set aside by the Clerk

and remitted to the First Judicial District and shall be used by the Court

consistent with Pa. O.C. Rule 4.7(f)(2).

(d) The Clerk shall not accept a legal paper as filed before payment of the

required filing fee.

(7) Local Procedures. The Court may develop further administrative procedures, as

needed, to implement this Rule and to provide for security of the electronic filing system,

as required by changing technology. All such administrative procedures shall be posted

on the Court's website.

Note: Subsection (4) amended December 4, 2017; published in the Pennsylvania

Bulletinn on December 23, 2017 effective January 6, 2018.

CHAPTER V. RULES GOVERNING SPECIFIC TYPES OF PETITIONS