Summary Appeals

Summary Appeals

Appeal of Summary Convictions From the Magisterial District Judge Disposition

A Defendant who has been found guilty of or who has plead guilty to a summary offense may file an appeal with the Court of Common Pleas within thirty days of the date of the guilty plea or trial disposition of the District Court. Notice of Summary Conviction Appeal forms are available at the main filing counter of the Clerk of Courts. A non-refundable fee of $74.65 is charged by the Clerk of Courts for the filing of a summary appeal.

If more than thirty days have passed since the date of disposition (guilty plea or trial) by the District Court, the defendant may file a Petition Nunc Pro Tunc under the Summary Appeal (SA) docket type. The Nunc Pro Tunc Petition is a request made to the Court to allow the defendant to file an appeal even though the deadline (more than thirty days since the District Court disposition) has passed. The Petition Nunc Pro Tunc is available at the main filing counter at the Clerk of Courts.

If you are unable to afford the Summary Conviction Appeal filing fee of $74.65, the filing fee may be waived by Order of the Court of Common Pleas pending sufficient evidence of the inability to pay. To demonstrate inability to pay, Defendants must complete a Financial Affidavit, also known as an In Forma Pauperis (in FORM uhPAH per us) Petition - Financial Affidavit Form/In Forma Pauperis Petition. 

If the Court grants the In Forma Pauperis Petition and waives the $74.65 Summary Conviction Appeal filing fee, the Notice of Summary Conviction Appeal form will be filed under the Summary Appeal (SA) docket type and will be scheduled for the next available term of Summary Appeal Court. See the Yearly Court Calendar, Summary Conviction Appeals under Court Administration.

If the Court denies the In Forma Pauperis Petition and declines to waive the $74.65 filing fee, and the defendant wishes to proceed with a Summary Appeal filing, he or she must pay the $74.65 filing fee plus $26.50 for the In Forma Pauperis petition that was filed. Fees are payable to the York County Clerk of Courts.

**DISCLAIMER - If the Summary Appeal Form is not filled out correctly the Judge may reject the filing. If this happens, you will need to refile with additional costs. Only the offense(s) listed will be heard in Court. If you do not list all offenses, you will need to refile with additional offense numbers and will be charged another filing fee. 

Summary Conviction Appeals received in the mail without prior approval from the Summary Appeals Clerk AND the Front Counter Supervisor will be sent back to the filer and will be at risk of being filed late.

If you do not know the docket number of the case you are appealing, please visit the UJS Portal Case Search website in order to locate the correct case.

Note: All filing fees are also payable by credit card either online (see Make Payment), by phone at 717-771-9363, or in person at the Costs and Fines window.

If you have any questions regarding the filing of a Summary Conviction Appeal, please email the Summary Conviction Appeal Clerk or call 717-771-3296.