Magisterial District Judges | Home
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.