Rule 1920.51.A - Hearing by the Court. Appointment of Hearing Officer. Presumed Consent Notice of Hearing. Applicable Hearing Officers' Fees(a) In actions where ancillary claims have been raised and are at issue, or a petition for Interim Distribution has been filed, on the motion of either party, a Hearing Officer shall be appointed by the court to hear testimony and prepare a report and recommendation.(b)Motion for Appointment of a Hearing Officer-A motion for the appointment of a Hearing Officer may be filed at any time after the filing of a complaint in divorce and shall state specifically what claims are at issue, what claims have been settled by agreement and whether any such agreement is to be entered as a court order. The moving party must be in compliance with Pa.R.Civ.P. 1920.31 and 1920.33. The motion shall include a certification that the completed inventory has been filed and served on the other party. The motion and order shall be in the form prescribed by Pa.R.Civ.P. 1920.74(a) and (b).(1)Certification of Service-The movant shall file, along with the motion for appointment of a Hearing Officer, a certification that opposing counsel or any unrepresented party has been served with a copy of the motion and all other documents required pursuant to subsection (b) hereof.(2) The motion for the appointment of a Hearing Officer shall aver whether any acting Hearing Officer is disqualified from acting as a Hearing Officer in the action and the basis for disqualification.(c) Objections to the Motion for the Appointment of a Hearing Officer shall be filed within ten (10) days of the filing of the motion and shall be in accordance with C.C.R.C.P. 206.2 and 206.6 except that no brief shall be required.(d)Cover Sheet-Any motion for appointment of a Hearing Officer shall be filed in the office of the Prothonotary and shall be accompanied by a cover sheet, available at the office of the Prothonotary.(e)Appointment of Hearing Officer-Upon filing of the motion for the appointment of a Hearing Officer, in the form prescribed by Pa.R.Civ.P. 1920.74, the required cover sheet and the posting of the required fee, the Office of the Prothonotary shall forward the motion to the Hearing Officer's Unit for the scheduling of a preliminary conference. When a party files a motion for the appointment of a Hearing Officer, the moving party shall pay the Prothonotary the applicable fee pursuant to this Rule. No Hearing Officer shall be appointed without such payment.(f)Applicable Fee-The party filing for the appointment of a Hearing Officer shall specify on the cover sheet the matters sought to be heard by the Hearing Officer, which shall determine the applicable fee. In addition to posting the requisite fee, the moving party shall pay a filing fee with the Prothonotary. (1) The fee for the appointment of a Hearing Officer to hear only marital dissolutions issues shall be one hundred forty-one dollars and fifty cents ($141.50), unless changed to a different amount.(2) The fee for the appointment of a Hearing Officer to hear interim issues of counsel fees/and or litigation expenses shall be one hundred eleven dollars and fifty cents ($111.50), unless changed to a different amount.(3) Whenever a party moves for the appointment of a Hearing Officer to hear equitable distribution of marital property, whether or not there are other claims to be heard by the Hearing Officer, the moving party shall deposit five hundred eleven dollars and fifty cents ($511.50), unless changed to a different amount, for the Hearing Officer's fee.(g) The above fees are non-refundable.Chest. Cnty. Ct. Comm. Plea. R. 1920.51.A
Amended effective 6/13/2022; amended effective 1/22/2024.All fees include the current Prothonotary filing fee of ten dollars and eighty-five cents ($10.85), which may be changed to a different amount.
Comment: All fees herein are subject to change consistent with the Prothonotary's published fee schedule which may be found at www.chesco.org.