Rule 1920.51 - Hearing By The Court.Appointment Of Master.Notice Of Hearing(a) All actions for divorce under Section 3301(a) (b) and (d)(l)(i) of the Divorce Code or for annulment, and all claims for alimony, alimony pendente lite, bifurcation, equitable distribution of marital property, exclusive possession of the marital residence, counsel fees, costs, expenses, or any aspect thereof shall be heard by a master in the absence of a court order to the contrary. (1) All actions or claims described in Section (a) hereof will not be referred to a master until one of the parties files a motion for the appointment of a master to hear the action(s) and/or claims(s) at issue and pays an amount to be determined by court order, in addition to all other costs provided by law, for the appointment of a master. The motion shall be substantially in the form as provided by Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 1920.74. The motion shall be filed with the Prothonotary together with the proper fee. (2) Upon receipt of the proper fee, the Prothonotary shall forward the motion to the court administrator for assignment to a master.(3) Unless the moving party is granted leave to proceed in forma pauperis, no master will be appointed until the proper fee for the appointment of the master is paid, or the court permits otherwise. If the monies are not forthcoming and there are no other proceedings in the case for a period of two years, the matter will be subject to termination pursuant to Rule 1901 of the Pennsylvania Rules of Judicial Administration.Adopted July 19, 2004, effective 30 days after publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin. Amended September 1, 2004, effective 30 days after publication in the Pennsylvania Bulletin.