2010 Pennsylvania Code
Title 20 - DECEDENTS, ESTATES AND FIDUCIARIES
Chapter 35 - Accounts and Distribution
3554 - Presumption of payment, release or extinguishment.

     § 3554.  Presumption of payment, release or extinguishment.
        (a)  Lapse of 20 years.--When:
            (1)  for 20 years after the same or any part thereof
        becomes due, no payment has been made on account of a dower,
        recognizance, legacy, annuity instalment, or other charge,
        created by will, agreement, inter vivos trust or court
        decree, upon real property; or
            (2)  no proceeding has been brought or no written
        acknowledgment of the existence thereof or no written promise
        to pay the same has been made within such period by the owner
        or owners of the property subject to the charge;
     a release or extinguishment thereof shall be presumed, and the
     charge shall thereafter be irrecoverable.
        (b)  Perpetuation of evidence.--The evidence of any such
     payment or written acknowledgment or promise may be perpetuated
     by recording it in the office of the recorder of deeds of the
     county or counties in which the real property bound by the
     charge is situate. The recorder of deeds shall index such
     evidence in the grantor's index under the name of the record
     owner or owners of the real property and in the grantee's index
     under the name of the owner or owners of the charge.
        (c)  Renewal of evidence every 20 years.--If such evidence of
     the charge is so recorded and indexed within the said period of
     20 years, it shall remain a charge on the real property for a
     period of 20 years from the time of indexing and no longer:
     Provided, That such evidence may be renewed within successive
     periods of 20 years, as often as necessary.
        (d)  Irrecoverable after 20 years.--If such evidence does not
     appear of record and is not indexed as herein provided within a
     period of 20 years or within the periods provided for a renewal
     thereof, then said dower, recognizance, legacy, annuity
     instalment, or other charge shall be irrecoverable from any
     purchaser, mortgagee, or other lien creditor.