How to Fill Out and File Pennsylvania Form AOPC 308A: Fees and Service

To fill out and file Pennsylvania Form AOPC 308A, get the current version from the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania website or your local magisterial district court, enter the parties and a short factual statement of your claim, sign the verification, and file it in the correct magisterial district with the filing fee and enough signed copies for the court and each defendant.¹ The form is the standard civil complaint for magisterial district court and is used for money disputes up to $12,000.

Before You Start the Form

Confirm Your Claim Is Still in Time

Pennsylvania’s filing deadlines vary by claim type. Contract and debt claims carry a four-year statute of limitations, measured from the breach or the first missed payment. Property damage, fraud, and most other tort claims must be filed within two years of the incident.² Miss the window and the court will dismiss the case no matter how strong it is.

For debt, each payment resets the four-year clock, because the period runs from the most recent breach. On older debts, count carefully before filing.

Check That Magisterial Court Is the Right Level

Magisterial District Courts handle civil claims that do not exceed $12,000, not counting interest and costs. If your damages run higher, you can waive the excess to stay in magisterial court or file in the Court of Common Pleas instead. Waiving is a trade-off: magisterial court is faster and cheaper, but you permanently give up the amount above $12,000 unless the defendant appeals, which automatically revokes the waiver.³

Pick the Correct District

Venue rules under Rule 302 decide which specific magisterial district can hear your case. Against an individual, you can file where the person can be served, where the dispute arose, or where the underlying transaction took place. Against a business, you can also file where the company’s registered office sits or where it regularly does business.⁴ File in the wrong district and your complaint can be dismissed.

Who Can Sign and File

Any individual or business can file. You do not need a lawyer. Corporations, LLCs, and unincorporated associations can appear through an officer, employee, or authorized agent with personal knowledge of the dispute, as long as that person files a written authorization from a company officer with the court. The authorization must be specific to the case; blanket authorizations covering all of a company’s disputes are not allowed.⁵

Filling Out the AOPC 308A

The complaint must be on the official AOPC 308A prescribed by the State Court Administrator. You cannot substitute your own document or alter the form’s format.⁶ Download it from the UJS website or pick up a copy at any local magisterial district court.¹

Party Information

Enter the full legal name and address of every plaintiff and every defendant. Rule 304 requires all party names and addresses on the form.⁷ Use exact legal names. Nicknames or informal names create service problems. For a business defendant, use the registered entity name. A current address matters because the court uses it to serve the complaint.

Statement of Claim

This is the core of the form. Write a brief, factual explanation of why the defendant owes you money. Required detail depends on the type of claim:⁷

Property damage or other tort claims: the date, time, and place of the incident and a description of the damages.
Contract disputes: the date of the transaction and a description of what the agreement covered.
Statutory fines or penalties: the date and description of the violation and the statute that authorizes the claim.

Keep the narrative tight and chronological. You don’t need to lay out your full legal theory; the judge hears fuller testimony at the hearing, and the field on the form is small. Enter the exact dollar amount you’re claiming as the principal, and list any accrued interest and anticipated costs separately.

Verification

At the bottom of the form you sign under penalty of Pennsylvania’s unsworn falsification statute, 18 Pa.C.S. § 4904, confirming the facts are true and correct to the best of your knowledge.¹ That is a criminal statute; a knowingly false complaint can lead to charges. Sign the original in ink.

Filing Fees

Fees scale with the amount claimed. The most recent published UJS schedule sets these tiers:⁸

Claims up to $500: $56.50
$500.01 to $2,000: $77.50
$2,000.01 to $4,000: $126.50
$4,000.01 to $12,000: $141.50

These amounts are periodically updated, so confirm the current schedule with your local court before filing. Separate service costs are charged at filing.⁶ Most courts take cash, money orders, and certified checks; personal checks are frequently rejected.

How Many Copies to Bring

You need one complaint with your original signature for the magisterial district judge, one copy for yourself, and two copies for each defendant.⁶ Photocopies of the signed original work for the copies. If a defendant has an attorney, bring an additional copy for the attorney. The clerk timestamps everything and assigns a docket number, which formally starts your case.

What Happens After You File

Service on the Defendant

The court, not you, gets the complaint to the defendant. Service must happen at least ten days before the hearing.⁹ Two paths are available:

Personal delivery, where the judge routes the complaint to the county sheriff or a certified constable, who serves the defendant in person. A certified constable can serve anywhere in Pennsylvania.⁹
Certified mail, at your option, sent by the judge using certified mail or a comparable method that produces a return receipt. Mail service can reach defendants inside or outside Pennsylvania.¹⁰

The Hearing Date

The judge sets the hearing when you file. It falls between 12 and 60 days from the filing date.¹¹ Both sides receive written notice of the date, time, and location. You can track case status and service attempts through the UJS web portal.¹²

After the Judgment

Two things are worth knowing before you walk out of the courthouse. First, either side can appeal a money judgment to the Court of Common Pleas within 30 days of the judgment date, and the appeal produces a fresh trial de novo. The prothonotary will not accept a late appeal without a court order showing good cause.¹³

Second, a judgment is not the same as payment. If the defendant doesn’t pay, you file a Request for Order of Execution with the same magisterial district judge, listing the docket number, filing and judgment dates, and a breakdown of the judgment amount, interest, costs, and execution fee.¹⁴ The judge issues the Order of Execution, and a sheriff or certified constable can then levy on the defendant’s property. Social Security, disability, and retirement funds are generally exempt from collection; wages and investment income are not.

1
Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. AOPC 308A Pennsylvania Civil Complaint Form
2
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Title 42 Chapter 55 – Limitation of Time
3
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Title 42 Section 1515 – Jurisdiction and Venue
4
Pennsylvania Code. 246 Pa. Code Rule 302 – Venue
5
Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. Rule 207 – Representation in Magisterial District Court Proceedings
6
Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. For the Public
7
Pennsylvania Code. 246 Pa. Code Rule 304 – Form of Complaint
8
Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. Magisterial District Judge Cost Table
9
Pennsylvania Code. 246 Pa. Code Rule 307 – Service of the Complaint
10
Legal Information Institute. 246 Pa. Code Rule 307 – Service of the Complaint
11
Legal Information Institute. 246 Pa. Code Rule 305 – Setting the Date for Hearing
12
Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. Court Case Information
13
Pennsylvania Code. 246 Pa. Code Rule 1002 – Time and Method of Appeal
14
Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. Request for Order of Execution