Allegheny County Arbitration: Rules, Hearings, Awards, and Appeals

Civil cases filed in Allegheny County seeking $50,000 or less in money damages go through mandatory arbitration before they can reach a judge or jury, and the Allegheny County arbitration rules set specific standards for which cases qualify, how evidence comes in, how hearings run, and how awards are appealed. The program operates out of Room 702 in the City-County Building at 414 Grant Street in Pittsburgh, with hearings decided by a three-attorney panel rather than a traditional jury.¹ Understanding the rules on deadlines, documents, and appeals can keep a routine case from turning expensive.

Which Cases Land in Arbitration

Local Rule 1301 sends any civil action for money damages of $50,000 or less (excluding interest and costs) to arbitration before it can proceed to the trial calendar. Car accident claims, breach of contract disputes, property damage cases, and slip-and-fall injuries are all common examples. The same $50,000 cap limits what the panel can award, so even if damages grow during litigation, the arbitrators cannot exceed that ceiling.¹

Three categories of cases are excluded regardless of the dollar amount:

Actions seeking only an accounting. If you seek both an accounting and money damages, the panel can award the damages but cannot order the accounting.
Actions seeking only equitable relief such as an injunction. If you combine equitable claims with damages, the panel handles the damages portion only.
Cases where the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania or a Commonwealth employee is the defendant under Chapter 85B of the Judicial Code.

State law also bars any case involving title to real property from compulsory arbitration.² Jurisdiction turns on the amount in controversy at the time the complaint is filed, so assess your damages carefully before filing.

Getting Documents In Without Live Witnesses

One of the biggest practical benefits of arbitration is Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 1305, which lets you put specific categories of documents into evidence without calling a records custodian or expert to testify in person. The condition is written notice to every other party at least 20 days before the hearing, with a copy of each document you plan to offer.³ The qualifying documents include:

Bills and charge records such as medical bills and repair invoices.
Business and government records that would be admissible if a custodian authenticated them in person.
Hospital and health-care provider records, including treatment notes, imaging reports, and discharge summaries.
Expert reports along with descriptions of the expert’s qualifications.
Written estimates of property value, repair costs, or loss.
Employer-prepared statements of pay rate and time missed from work.

Missing the 20-day deadline is not an automatic bar. If you provided the documents during discovery or otherwise at least 20 days before the hearing, the panel may still admit them when it finds no prejudice to the opposing party.³ Treating the 20-day notice as a firm deadline is still the safe play. Outside of Rule 1305, standard evidence rules apply.

Bring an organized exhibit folder for in-person hearings, with enough copies for each of the three arbitrators and opposing counsel. For remote hearings, exhibits are uploaded in advance to a SharePoint file created by the Arbitration Department, and you receive an email invitation with access before the hearing.⁴

Pre-Hearing Motions Do Not Go to the Panel

Arbitrators do not rule on legal motions. Preliminary objections, motions for summary judgment, and any other pre-hearing motions go before a judge in the Civil Division. Cases not yet scheduled for trial are heard by the General Motions Judge in Courtroom 703 of the City-County Building.⁵ Once a case appears on a published trial list, motions go to the Calendar Control Judge. If you believe the complaint is defective or the case does not belong in arbitration at all, raise it with the court well before your hearing date.

Rescheduling a Hearing

The process for moving a hearing date depends on whether the other side agrees.

When Everyone Agrees

Contact all parties, pick a proposed new date from the Arbitration calendar, and complete the Adjournment of Hearing form with a cover sheet. Fill in both parties’ names on the stipulation lines (which function as a representation to the court under penalty of perjury that everyone consents) and email the paperwork to Civilarb@alleghenycourts.us. Opposing counsel must be copied on that email or the office will not approve it.⁶

Approval alone is not enough. The continuance only takes effect once you pay for and file the approved Adjournment with the Department of Court Records, either by e-filing or in person at the City-County Building. After filing, serve a copy on all other parties by email or regular mail.⁶ People miss this step and show up expecting a continuance that was never finalized.

When the Other Side Objects

Contested continuance requests do not go through the Arbitration office. You must follow the operating procedures of the Calendar Control Judge and present a stronger justification for moving the date over an objection.

What Happens at the Hearing

Check in with staff when you arrive at Room 702. The Arbitration office calls the list at the start of the session, with a second call at 10:00 a.m. for anyone who did not answer initially.⁷ Once both sides are ready, you are assigned a three-member panel.

Who Sits on the Panel

Each panel consists of three attorneys actively practicing in Allegheny County. The chairperson must have been admitted to the Pennsylvania bar for at least three years.⁸ All members are drawn from a master list approved by the Administrative Judge of the Civil Division and act with court authority during the hearing.⁶

How It Runs

The plaintiff presents first, the defendant follows. Witnesses are sworn in by the panel. Each side can cross-examine and challenge evidence. The setting is less formal than a courtroom (both sides sit at tables facing the panel), but legal standards for testimony still apply. Arbitrators may ask their own clarifying questions. Most hearings finish within a few hours.

If You Do Not Appear

Not showing up carries real consequences. If neither side answers the second call at 10:00 a.m., the court enters a nonsuit. If only one side appears, the case may be sent to the first available panel for an ex parte hearing, where the party present puts on their case and the panel issues an award without input from the absent party.⁷

Alternatively, if the hearing notice included a “Duty to Appear” warning and all present parties agree, the case can go directly to a judge instead of the panel. A judge’s verdict in that scenario comes with a critical difference: there is no automatic right to a trial de novo. The absent party has 10 days to file post-trial motions, explain why they were not present, and persuade the same judge who rendered the verdict to grant relief.⁷ That is a far harder road than appealing a normal arbitration award, so treat your hearing date as non-negotiable.

Settling Before the Hearing

If you resolve the dispute before your hearing, do not just let the date pass. Call the Arbitration Center at 412-350-1926 to report the settlement, then file a Praecipe to Settle and Discontinue with the Department of Court Records.⁷ Skipping that notification wastes panel resources and creates docket problems.

The Award and Turning It Into a Judgment

After testimony, the panel deliberates privately and drafts an Award of Arbitrators stating who prevailed, who owes what, and the dollar amount. The award is filed with the Prothonotary’s office, usually the same day.

An unappealed award does not automatically become an enforceable judgment. The prevailing party must file a Praecipe for Judgment on the Arbitration Award with the Department of Court Records, specifying the case number, the party the judgment is being entered against, the dollar amount, and whether the case involves a motor vehicle. The filing party must also certify that a true copy was mailed to all other parties.⁹ Once judgment is entered, you can pursue standard collection methods, including a writ of execution through the Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office.¹⁰

Appealing the Award

Any party unhappy with the result can appeal for a trial de novo, which restarts the case from scratch as if the arbitration never happened.² The prior award is not disclosed to the new judge or jury.

Deadline and Cost

File a notice of appeal with the Prothonotary no later than 30 days after the docket notation that notice of the award was provided.¹¹ Miss that window and the award becomes a final, enforceable judgment.

Filing also requires paying the arbitrators’ compensation to the Prothonotary. Under Rule 1308, the amount cannot exceed 50 percent of the amount in controversy.¹¹ On a $10,000 claim, that could mean up to $5,000 just to file. The payment cannot be taxed as costs or recovered later even if you win at trial. If you cannot afford it, you can petition the court to proceed in forma pauperis. No bond or other security is required beyond the arbitrator compensation.

What a Trial De Novo Looks Like

Once the appeal is filed, the case moves to the general civil trial list with full jury trial rights. You go through standard scheduling, potential jury selection, and all the procedures of a regular trial. The arbitration award is sealed from the new fact-finder. The appellant must also give the Prothonotary properly stamped and addressed envelopes so notice of the appeal can be mailed to every other party.¹¹

Think carefully before appealing. The arbitrator compensation is gone regardless of outcome, and a full trial adds attorney fees, preparation costs, and months of delay. Appeals make sense when an award is significantly off the mark. Filing one as a reflex to losing is an expensive gamble.

1
Allegheny County Courts. Allegheny County Civil and Family Court Rules
2
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Title 42 Section 7361 – Compulsory Arbitration
3
Legal Information Institute. Pennsylvania Code 231 Pa. Code r. 1305 – Conduct of Hearing. Evidence
4
Fifth Judicial District of Pennsylvania. Remote Arbitration Hearing Instructions
5
Allegheny County Courts. General Motions
6
Allegheny County Courts. Arbitration
7
Fifth Judicial District of Pennsylvania. Frequently Asked Questions
8
Pennsylvania Code & Bulletin. 231 Pa. Code Chapter 1300 – Arbitration
9
Allegheny County Courts. Praecipe for Judgment on the Arbitration Award
10
Allegheny County Sheriff’s Office. Writs Service – Service of Judicial Orders
11
Legal Information Institute. Pennsylvania Code 231 Pa. Code r. 1308 – Appeal. Arbitrators’ Compensation. Notice