Pennsylvania Court Summary

The Pennsylvania trial court system consists of Courts of Common Pleas, Magisterial District Courts, Community Courts, Traffic Courts, Philadelphia Municipal Courts, Pittsburgh Municipal Court, and Pittsburgh Magistrates Courts.

Courts of Common Pleas have general jurisdiction over all civil and criminal cases, but typically only handle cases that are beyond the jurisdiction of other courts. Magisterial District Courts, Community Courts, Traffic Courts, Philadelphia Municipal Courts and the Pittsburgh Municipal Court have limited jurisdiction over certain types of cases.


First Name	MI	Last Name	State

I entered a partial first name above

Where to find court cases in Pennsylvania

The chart below gives general information on the types of cases heard in each type of court in Pennsylvania.

= Most or all cases.

= Some cases.

Case Type	Court Type
Civil	Courts of Common Pleas	Magisterial District Courts	Community Courts	Traffic Courts
General Civil - Unlimited
General Civil - Limited
Small Claims
Civil Equity
Complex Commercial
Foreclosures and Liens
Real Estate Title and Boundary
Landlord / Tenant
Ordinance Violations
Protection, No Contact, and Restraining Orders
Administrative Agency Appeals
Criminal	Courts of Common Pleas	Magisterial District Courts	Community Courts	Traffic Courts
Felony
Felony Preliminary Hearings
Misdemeanors
Ordinance Violations
Juvenile
Traffic and Infractions		$Some Traffic and Infractions cases can be found in the Magisterial District Courts$	$Some Traffic and Infractions cases can be found in the Community Courts$	$Most or all Traffic and Infractions cases can be found in the Traffic Courts$
Domestic Relations	Courts of Common Pleas	Magisterial District Courts	Community Courts	Traffic Courts
Divorce
Child Custody and Visitation
Child Support
Paternity
Domestic Violence Protection Order
Juvenile	Courts of Common Pleas	Magisterial District Courts	Community Courts	Traffic Courts
Adoptions
Juvenile Delinquency
Child Abuse and Neglect
Termination of Parental Rights
Children in Need of Supervision
Mental Health	Courts of Common Pleas	Magisterial District Courts	Community Courts	Traffic Courts
Involuntary Commitments
Other Mental Health Cases
Probate	Courts of Common Pleas	Magisterial District Courts	Community Courts	Traffic Courts
Wills & Estates
Name Changes
Trusts
Guardianships and Conservatorships

Note: Some courts in Pennsylvania are not included in the chart above. Please use the following links for descriptions and types of cases heard:

Philadelphia Municipal Courts Pittsburgh Municipal Court Pittsburgh Magistrates Courts

Pennsylvania Courts Summary