Title 16, COUNTIES

The county commissioners shall have prepared plans and estimates, as often as required, for the repair and maintenance of all roads which the county is required by law to maintain and repair. Maintenance and repair may be undertaken by contract or through the use of county person…

The county commissioners may levy, assess and collect annual taxes upon all real and personal property within the county taxable for county purposes to acquire and secure a fund from which to pay all costs, damages and expenses required in the locating, opening, building, improvi…

The county commissioners may borrow money and secure indebtedness for the purposes authorized under this chapter, in accordance with 53 Pa.C.S. Pt. VII Subpt. B (relating to indebtedness and borrowing). Cross References. Section 16908 is referred to in section 16907 of this title…

If the county commissioners deem it advisable to construct or alter any part of any road under the supervision of the county commissioners and agree with the property owners affected by the change as to damages, the county commissioners may, upon payment of the damages agreed upo…

If, in a county, a road or highway originally located, laid out, constructed, relocated, opened, straightened, widened, extended or altered or any part of the road or highway vacated, the viewers appointed to assess damages in accordance with 26 Pa.C.S. (relating to eminent domai…

All assessments for benefits shall bear interest at the expiration of 30 days after the assessments have been determined final and fixed and shall be payable to the treasurer of the county. Cross References. Section 16911 is referred to in sections 16907, 16912 of this title.

(a) Filing, revival and collection of liens.--All liens for the assessment of benefits under sections 16910 (relating to assessment of benefits) and 16911 (relating to interest on benefits assessed) shall be filed, revived and collected in accordance with law. (b) Appeal of liens…

If considered necessary for the safety and accommodation of the public, the county commissioners may locate, construct and maintain sidewalks along county roads. The cost of the construction and maintenance of sidewalks shall be paid by the county. Cross References. Section 16913…

If considered necessary for the safety and convenience of the traveling public, the county commissioners may supply and equip any county road or parts of the road with lights as deemed necessary. The county commissioners may contract with an individual or municipal or private cor…

(a) System of roads.--The county commissioners may, in the manner provided by this section, cause to be laid out, survey and adopt a system of main thoroughfares which the board shall determine the proper roads to be established and specially constructed and improved. In adopting…

(a) General rule.--If a system of main thoroughfares had been adopted or if the adoption is being contemplated within two years after the commencement of the improvement, the county commissioners may take exclusive control of and improve any road or section of road located either…

(a) General rule.--The county commissioners may: (1) relocate, straighten, widen, extend, alter, open, construct and improve the proposed roads as laid out, surveyed, marked and shown upon the plans of the system; (2) originally locate, lay out, establish, construct and improve r…

The county commissioners may originally locate, lay out and establish in whole or in part, relocate, straighten, widen, extend, alter and open, construct and improve roads not part of the system nor deemed main thoroughfares, upon parties interested in paying or securing to be pa…

(a) County purchase of structures.--The county commissioners may, if deemed expedient, provide for the purchase, location, construction, operation and maintenance of roads, tunnels, subways or underground roads within the county, either wholly or partly within the boundaries of a…

The county commissioners may make a contract or lease with any street railway or transportation company, its successors and assigns, for the concurrent use of such a portion of the road, tunnel or subway or underground road, as may not substantially impair or restrict the public …

If the county commissioners deem it necessary or advisable to enter upon or appropriate a road or property of any municipal corporation in the county or to take action affecting the property rights or authority of the municipal corporation for the purpose of constructing or maint…

Upon petition of the county commissioners, the court of common pleas may vacate as a county road any portion of an abandoned or condemned road or a road purchased by the county or the permanent location or improvement of a road which has been ordered or made under this part or fo…

Roads forming or intended to form a continuous highway from one county to another, which cross a river, creek or rivulet forming a boundary line between the counties, may be laid out or altered or vacated in the manner provided for other roads.

If a city or borough intervenes between two ends of a county road and the municipal corporation has failed to properly improve the municipal streets constituting the shortest and most reasonable route through the municipal corporation that will connect the two ends of the county …

(a) Contract for improvements.--If a county road terminates at the corporate limits of a city or borough in the same county or in another county and connects with a municipal street which the municipal corporation has failed to properly improve, and the county commissioners in wh…

The board of commissioners may widen, repave or otherwise improve municipal streets if necessary to accomplish any of the purposes of sections 16956 (relating to municipal streets connecting two ends of county road) and 16957 (relating to municipal streets as terminus of county r…

Before a municipal street is improved, the county commissioners and the governing body of the municipal corporation shall agree upon the maintenance of the street. The agreement may provide that: (1) the street shall be kept and maintained in good repair by the municipal corporat…

(a) Contract to construct improved road.--The county commissioners may contract with the governing bodies of municipal corporations, separately or jointly, providing that the county commissioners shall construct an improved road in a similar manner as a county road. The expense o…

(a) Grading, curbing and macadamizing of roads.--If the center line of any road constitutes the dividing line between any city or borough and a township located in the same county, the county commissioners and the commissioners or supervisors of the township may enter into a cont…

(a) Costs.--If the center line of any road constitutes a dividing line between a township and a city or borough located in an adjacent county, the county commissioners and the commissioners or supervisors of the township may enter into a contract with the city or borough providin…

(a) Court ordered improvements.--If contracts or agreements under section 16963 (relating to center line highway boundary between city or borough and township) are impossible to enter into or if either the city or borough and the township or the county in which the township is si…

The county may, singly or jointly with any municipal corporation, appropriate and expend money for the improvement of any road, not more than one mile in length in distance, outside of the limits of a municipal corporation, for the purpose of connecting improved streets in the mu…

The county commissioners may purchase equipment for the preparation of road material and the construction and maintenance of roads as the county commissioners deem necessary and pay for the equipment out of the general funds of the county. Equipment may be rented by the county co…

(a) Closure of roads.--Except for an emergency in which the safety of the public would be endangered, a county road may not be closed to vehicular traffic except upon order of the county commissioners and may not be closed for a longer period than is necessary for the purpose for…

If necessary in the creation of a detour under section 16975 (relating to county road detours), the county commissioners responsible for laying out the detour may enter into an agreement with the owners of private lands covering the acquisition of right-of-way privileges over pri…

(a) Summary offense and exception.-- (1) Except as provided under paragraph (2), an individual who shall willfully remove, deface, destroy or disregard any barricade, light, danger sign, detour sign, warning or traffic control device of any character whatsoever, erected or placed…

(a) General rule.--It shall be unlawful for an individual to willfully destroy, remove, injure or deface any sign or index board erected upon or near any public street, road or bridge by the authorities of any county, or erected, with the consent of such authorities, by any club,…

(a) Placement.--A county that is responsible for the maintenance of any road may enter upon private property adjacent to the road and place snow fences, at any point as may be necessary to within a limit of 100 feet from the right-of-way line of the road, in order to eliminate sn…

(a) General rule.--A county may acquire, by purchase or by the right of eminent domain, property and lands situate along or adjacent to any county road as, in the opinion of the county commissioners, may be necessary to eliminate dangerous curves and widen narrow roads, for the b…