Administrative Order - Court Filings with the Blair County Prothonotary and Clerk of Courts

Overview

This Administrative Order, issued by the Court of Common Pleas in Blair County (24th Judicial District) on March 20, 2020, establishes new procedures for court filings in response to a judicial emergency declared by President Judge Elizabeth A. Doyle. The order suspends standard in-person filing requirements and mandates the use of email for all filings, except for emergency matters.

Key Directives

• Suspension of In-Person Filing: The Prothonotary/Clerk of Courts will not accept in-person filings, except for emergency matters.
• Mandatory Email Filing: All filings that would normally be made in person or via the United States Postal Service must now be sent via email to Prothonotary-filings@blairco. org.
• File Format: Documents must be transmitted as . pdf attachments. Scanned signatures are accepted as originals.
• Service of Process: Copies of the filing email must be sent to all parties who would normally receive service via the United States Postal Service.

Fees and Payment

• Suspension of Immediate Payment: The requirement to pay filing fees immediately is suspended for email filings.
• Invoicing: The Prothonotary/Clerk will maintain a log of fees owed and issue invoices. Payment is due upon receipt of the invoice.
• Printing Fee: A fee of $0. 25 per page will be added to the invoice to cover increased printing costs incurred by the court.

Processing and Receipt

• Monitoring: The Prothonotary/Clerk is directed to monitor the email inbox regularly.
• Filing Notation: Upon receipt, documents will be printed and filed as if received in hand. The notation "Filed by Email" will be added next to the timestamp.
• Confirmation: The court will reply to the filing party to confirm receipt, but it remains the filer's responsibility to ensure documents have been received. The court is not responsible for email malfunctions.
• After-Hours Filing: Documents received after 4:00 P. M. will be time-stamped for the following business day.

Effective Date

This order is effective as of March 20, 2020, and will remain in effect until further order of the court.