This 16-page publication covers the role, functions, and operation of Pennsylvania county government. It reviews the history of counties in Pennsylvania and discusses the functions performed by counties, the overall organization of county government (including elected and appointed officials), and the sources of the money counties use to provide their services.

Pennsylvania’s 67 county governments play an important role in the Commonwealth. By administering important services such as the courts, legal record maintenance, conduct of elections, and human services, they provide a link between citizens and the state government. They give a local dimension and control to statemandated services and also provide a variety of local services, including landuse planning, parks and recreation, and solid waste management.

This bulletin is intended to help you understand the role, functions, and operation of Pennsylvania county government. It briefly reviews the history of counties in Pennsylvania and discusses the functions performed by counties (and what they spend their money on), the overall organization of county government (including elected and appointed officials), and the sources of the money counties use to provide their services.

History of Counties

Pennsylvania’s first three counties (Philadelphia, Bucks, and Chester) were created when William Penn arrived in Pennsylvania in 1682. By various combinations and subdivisions, more counties were created over the next 200 years until the youngest of the 67 counties, Lackawanna, was instituted in 1878.

The common thread running through county history is the role of county government as an administrative unit of the state. Counties traditionally have taken their grants of authority from the Commonwealth and, before the Revolution, from the provincial government. Counties operate under legal rules codified in the County Code, which details what county governments can and cannot do and provides the legal justification for their activities. The County Code creates nine classes of county, based on population (see Appendix). Rules for the different classes of county sometimes vary.

The earliest county responsibilities included maintaining the local judicial system and the local prison. Because the prisons often were associated with debtors, counties acquired, in a backdoor fashion, some responsibilities for human services. The county “poor farm” was an early example of this type of service that continued into the twentieth century. In the early years, the counties also had a fairly significant degree of responsibility for maintaining what then constituted the local highway system. ...

Download An Introduction to County Government

PDF format, 1.38MB, 16 Pages.

Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences research, extension, and resident education programs are funded in part by Pennsylvania counties, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

This publication is available from the Publications Distribution Center, The Pennsylvania State University, 112 Agricultural Administration Building, University Park, PA 16802. For information telephone (814) 865-6713.

Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work, Acts of Congress May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Pennsylvania Legislature. T. R. Alter, Director of Cooperative Extension, The Pennsylvania State University.

The Pennsylvania State University is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to programs, facilities, admission, and employment without regard to personal characteristics not related to ability, performance, or qualifications as determined by University policy or by state or federal authorities. The Pennsylvania State University does not discriminate against any person because of age, ancestry, color, disability or handicap, national origin, race, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status. Direct all inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policy to the Affirmative Action Director, The Pennsylvania State University, 201 Willard Building, University Park, PA 16802-2801; Tel. (814) 865-4700/V; (814) 863-1150/TTY.

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