SB 549 — An Act amending Title 42 (Judiciary and Judicial Procedure) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in dockets, indices and other records, providing for limited access to eviction information.

Bill Text

• Printer's No. PN0566 View text Current pdf

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This bill establishes a framework for limited access to eviction information in Pennsylvania.

• Title 42, Chapter 43

  SUBCHAPTER C LIMITED ACCESS TO EVICTION INFORMATION Sec. 4331. Definitions. 4332. Eviction case limited access. 4333. Prohibition on disclosure of information in limited access eviction file. 4334. Procedures.

  Creates a new subchapter in Title 42 to govern limited access to eviction information.

• § 4331

  "Disseminate." To transmit or disclose a court file in oral or written form to individuals or agencies other than the court that retains the information. "Eviction case." An action brought under Article V of the act of April 6, 1951 (P.L.69, No.20), known as The Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951. "Eviction information." Information collected by the court arising from the initiation of an eviction case consisting of identifiable descriptions and dates of parties involved in the eviction case, documents filed in the eviction case and information or record of activity associated with the eviction case. "Limited access eviction file." Eviction information barred from dissemination.

  Defines key terms related to eviction cases and limited access files.

• § 4332

  (a) General rule.--Except as provided under subsection (b), a court or the Administrative Office may not disseminate to an individual or post on an Internet website a limited access eviction file unless a final disposition of the case in favor of the plaintiff is present and the case is less than seven years old. (b) Exception.--A court may disseminate a limited access eviction file in the following circumstances to: ... (6) other parties or entities if the parties to the eviction case agree that the limited access eviction file may be disseminated. (c) Limited access eviction file.--Within 180 days of the effective date of this subsection, and on a monthly basis thereafter, courts shall automatically place under limited access all eviction information: ...

  Regulates the dissemination of eviction information and establishes conditions under which it can be released.

• § 4333

  (a) Dissemination prohibited.--A person may not disseminate any information contained in a limited access eviction file. (b) Furnishing information.--A person that regularly and in the ordinary course of business furnishes information to a consumer reporting agency ...

  Prohibits the dissemination of information from limited access eviction files and establishes obligations for consumer reporting agencies.

• § 4334

  Each court shall issue monthly, and provide to the Administrative Office, a list of all court files to which the court has limited access within the previous 31 days ...

  Requires courts to maintain and report on the status of limited access eviction files.

Action History

1. April 04, 2025

   Referred to Judiciary

Sponsors

• Nikil Saval · Primary
• Camera Bartolotta · Cosponsor
• Jay Costa · Cosponsor
• Judith L. Schwank · Cosponsor
• Timothy P. Kearney · Cosponsor
• Wayne D. Fontana · Cosponsor
• Carolyn T. Comitta · Cosponsor
• Sharif Street · Cosponsor
• Vincent J. Hughes · Cosponsor
• Art Haywood · Cosponsor
• Katie J. Muth · Cosponsor
• Lindsey M. Williams · Cosponsor
• John I. Kane · Cosponsor
• Amanda M. Cappelletti · Cosponsor
• Maria Collett · Cosponsor

Subjects