Rule 1026.Time for Filing. Notice to Plead.
Last amended October 15, 2004 · Last verified June 30, 2026
Full Text of Rule 1026
Plain-English Summary
This rule sets the basic responsive-pleading deadline. Except as otherwise provided, every pleading after the complaint is filed within twenty days after service of the preceding pleading — the clock runs only where the preceding pleading carried a notice to defend or a notice to plead.
A longer period applies to distant defendants. A defendant served outside the United States has sixty days from service of the complaint within which to plead.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to respond to a complaint in Pennsylvania?
Twenty days after service of a pleading that contains a notice to defend or a notice to plead. A defendant served outside the United States has sixty days.
Does the twenty-day clock always run?
The duty to respond within twenty days is triggered by a notice to defend contained in the preceding pleading or a notice to plead endorsed on it; without either, the time to respond is not running. A complaint carries a notice to defend.
Official Note
Official Note: For the form of notice to defend see Rule 1018.1 and for the form of notice to plead see Rule 1361. Additional time within which to plead may be sought under Rule 248. Rule 1042.4 governs actions in which a professional liability claim is asserted.
Amendment History
The provisions of this Rule 1026 amended through June 20, 1985, effective January 1, 1986, 15 Pa.B. 2452; amended January 27, 2003, effective immediately, 33 Pa.B. 748; amended October 15, 2004, effective immediately, 34 Pa.B. 5889. Immediately preceding text appears at serial page (302461).