Rule 206.2.Answer.
Adopted September 8, 1995 · Not amended since adoption · Last verified June 30, 2026
In one sentenceRule 206.2 governs the answer to a petition, requiring it to state the material facts that make up the defense and to be set out in consecutively numbered paragraphs that track the numbered paragraphs of the petition.
Full Text of Rule 206.2
(a) An answer shall state the material facts which constitute the defense to the petition.
(b) An answer to a petition shall be divided into paragraphs, numbered consecutively, corresponding to the numbered paragraphs of the petition.
End
Plain-English Summary
This rule shapes the responsive pleading in petition practice. An answer states the material facts that constitute the defense to the petition — it joins issue on the facts, not just the relief.
For clarity, the answer is divided into consecutively numbered paragraphs that correspond to the numbered paragraphs of the petition, so the court can match each response to the allegation it addresses.
Frequently Asked Questions
How should an answer to a petition be organized?
In consecutively numbered paragraphs that correspond to the petition’s numbered paragraphs, each stating the material facts of the defense to the matching allegation.
Amendment History
The provisions of this Rule 206.2 adopted September 8, 1995, effective January 1, 1996, 25 Pa.B. 4092.
Source & verification. Rule text, the Official Note, and the amendment
history are reproduced verbatim from the Pennsylvania Code, Title 231, the official compilation
of rules adopted by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. This rule has not been amended since its adoption. Last verified June 30, 2026. ·
Official text
Also known as: answer to petitionresponsive pleading petition