The Pennsylvania court system has three levels.
The first level is comprised of Minor courts that include Magisterial District Courts (which exist everywhere in Pennsylvania except Philadelphia), Philadelphia Municipal Court and Philadelphia Traffic Court, and Pittsburgh Municipal Court. The Minor Courts handle much of the business of everyday life like traffic violations, landlord-tenant disputes, civil actions involving less than $10,000, and summary or minor criminal offenses.
 
The next level is the trial court level, comprised of the Common Pleas Courts in 60 judicial districts of the state of Pennsylvania. Civil and criminal case trials are held at Courts of Common Pleas, including family and estate matters, traffic accidents, and many more. Jury trials are held at this level.
 
The third level is comprised of three statewide appellate courts. There are two intermediate appellate courts: Superior Court, a general court of appeals, hearing civil and criminal cases, and the Commonwealth Court, a special court which hears appeals in government-related matters.
 
The highest court in Pennsylvania is the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has administrative authority over the entire Pennsylvania court system and the power to review any case from the lower courts. 
 
For more detailed descriptions of the different courts in Pennsylvania, how they are organized and what kinds of cases they hear, visit our Using the Courts pages.
 
Administrative agencies also act like courts at times. For example, if a claim for unemployment compensation benefits goes to a hearing, this will be in front of an administrative judge, with rules of procedure and formalities similar to the Courts. This guide is a guide to the Courts, not to these administrative agencies.  
 
 Disclaimer: PMC does not provide legal advice or represent clients in court or other legal proceedings. This guide is created solely to help individuals navigate the courts. It does not serve as a substitute for legal advice and should not be interpreted as such.
 
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