Janice Dean
Deputy Administrator-Special Courts

The Magisterial District Court is a community-based judicial system comprised of forty-six districts handling over 200,000 case filings per year. Matters adjudicated within these courts allow for the expedient disposition or processing of the following:

• All summary criminal cases, traffic citations and non-traffic citations
• Civil matters – contract, torts, landlord/tenant disputes not exceeding $12,000
• Criminal matters – preliminary arraignments and hearings, setting bail and issuing warrants of arrest in misdemeanor and felony cases, and issuing search warrants.
• Emergency Relief from Abuse petitions under the Protection From Abuse Act
• Marriage ceremonies

Location & Hours of Operation
Civil filings may be taken into a magisterial district court where: (1) the individual may be served, or (2) the cause of action arose, or (3) a transaction or occurrence took place out of which the cause of action arose.

To determine the appropriate district court filing location, please click here.

Hours of operation vary to accommodate the needs of the community.  Please refer to the Magisterial District Court Office listing for office hour information.

Filing Information
To file a case within a magisterial district court, you must visit the office in person.  Forms can be retrieved from the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Court's website or by visiting the magisterial district court office.