Court of Common Pleas of Venango County, Pennsylvania Filing Rules

An attorney representing a defendant at the scheduled preliminary hearing must enter an appearance of record in the Court of Common Pleas on the provided form, unless the case is dismissed, withdrawn, or otherwise not held for that court.

Fast-track cases are scheduled for disposition within 12 months.

A secure realtime feed costs $1.00 per page.

Continuance notices must be mailed to the last known address of every party involved in the case, in compliance with Pa.R.Crim.P. Rule 542.

Defendants and witnesses must not be excused until the presiding District Justice has reviewed and approved the continuance motion in writing.

Legal papers presented for filing must be in PDF format.

A defendant proceeding without counsel may use PACFile through the authorization process established by the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts.

A pro se defendant who needs to leave the courtroom must notify the Central Court Administrator's staff of their whereabouts.

When the judge seals a search-warrant affidavit, the judge must attach the order to the outside of the sealed envelope, and the order must state how long the affidavit will remain sealed.

The trial judge will schedule opposing-party responses and argument on motions in limine as required.