Title 16, COUNTIES

The district attorney of a county of the third class may, with the consent and approval of the county commissioners and at the expense of the county, purchase and maintain a short wave police radio receiving and transmitting set and the necessary accessory equipment, to be instal…

If a district attorney neglects or refuses to prosecute in due form of law a criminal charge regularly returned to the district attorney or to the court or if at any stage of the proceedings the district attorney and the private counsel employed by the prosecutor differ as to the…

(a) Appointment of assistants.--The district attorney may appoint assistants who are licensed to practice law in this Commonwealth to assist in the discharge of the district attorney's duties. The number of assistants and salary shall be fixed by the county salary board. (b) Appo…

The following shall apply: (1) If more than one assistant district attorney is appointed, the district attorney shall designate one assistant as the first assistant. (2) The first assistant or the assistant district attorney if only one is appointed shall, in the absence of the d…

The court of common pleas of a county of the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh or eighth class shall temporarily appoint a district attorney if the district attorney and the assistants are absent from the court. An individual appointed under this section shall perform the duti…

The district attorney of a county of the fourth class, in addition to other assistants authorized in this subchapter, may appoint an assistant who is licensed to practice law in this Commonwealth as an indictment and cost clerk to assist the district attorney in the discharge of …

The salary board in a county may provide for the appointment by the district attorney of clerks and stenographers in the district attorney's office as may be deemed necessary for the proper dispatch of business.

(a) Counties of second class A, third and fourth class.-- (1) In counties of the second class A, the district attorney may appoint one chief county detective, an assistant chief county detective and as many county detectives, sergeants, special county detectives and junior county…

If the court of common pleas and district attorney deem it necessary for a particular and temporary assignment, the district attorney of a county, with the approval of the county salary board, may appoint a special detective, whose duty it shall be to assist in obtaining evidence…

(a) Amount.--Except as otherwise provided under this part or other applicable law, salary and changes in salary of county officers shall be set in accordance with the act of November 1, 1971 (P.L.495, No.113), entitled "An act providing for the compensation of county officers in …

In addition to other authorized compensation, county commissioners and other county officers and their dependents shall be eligible for inclusion in group life, health, hospitalization, medical service and accident insurance plans or other employee benefits, or payments made in l…

(a) General rule.--Except as provided under law, fees that an elected or appointed county officer is legally authorized, required or entitled to charge or receive belong to the county. (b) Collection and receipt.--Each county officer shall exact, collect and receive all fees to a…

(a) System of accounts.--Each county officer receiving fees shall keep a system of accounts, the form of which shall be prescribed by the controller or, if that office does not exist, by the county auditors, on which entry shall be made of all the money received for fees and of a…

(a) Prohibited conduct.--An officer under this subchapter may not: (1) Receive or stipulate to receive, from a deputy, clerk or any person awarded a contract, money as percentage on the salaries of the deputy or clerk or on the amounts or profits of the contract or money as compe…

(a) Perjury.--A county officer under this subchapter or another individual who willfully swears or affirms falsely as to the accuracy of an account, transcript or bill required in this subchapter or in making an affidavit in reference to the account, transcript or bill, commits p…

Each county officer and their deputies and clerks shall be paid for services rendered by fixed and specific salaries as follows: (1) The salaries of each officer, deputy and clerk shall be paid out of the treasury of the county which the officer, deputy or clerk serve to the exte…

(a) Separate returns and payment.--Each county officer shall make a separate return to the Department of Revenue of all taxes or fees collected or earned for the Commonwealth by the officer, if any, at the same time that monthly returns are made under section 14702 (relating to s…

The following shall apply: (1) The following individuals shall be paid weekly, biweekly, semimonthly or monthly, at the discretion of the county commissioners: (i) The county solicitor. (ii) County prison warden. (iii) County commissioners. (iv) County controller. (v) County surv…

Except to the extent this section may be inconsistent with any other express provision of this part, the salaries fixed and provided by law for county officers shall be in lieu of money, fees, perquisites or mileage expenses and other allowances received or allowed to any officer…

All rights of action and all other remedies granted or extended to a salaried county officer under this subchapter for the collection of the officer's respective fees are extended and shall inure to the benefit of counties for the collection of all fees and costs that may accrue …

The salaries and compensation of county officers shall be as provided under law. The salaries and compensation of all appointed officers and employees who are paid from the county treasury shall be fixed by the salary board established under section 14722 (relating to salary boar…

(a) General rule.--A county officer shall charge and collect the fees, mileage and emoluments of the office for the officer's own use or for the use of the county, as provided by law. (b) Payment of fees.--Fees, mileage and emoluments shall be paid to the county treasurer. (c) Ti…

A salary board is created in each county. The following apply: (1) The salary board shall consist of the three individual members of the county commissioners and: (i) the county controller; or (ii) for counties without a controller, the county treasurer. (2) The chairperson of th…

(a) Setting numbers and compensation.--The following apply: (1) At each annual meeting, the salary board, subject to limitations imposed by law, shall fix the compensation of each appointed county officer and the number and compensation of the following who are paid from the coun…

(a) Attendance by officer or executive head.--Except as otherwise provided in this part, when the salary board considers the number or salaries of the deputies or other employees of a county office or agency, the officer or the executive head of the agency shall sit as a member o…

The county commissioners shall be the responsible managers and administrators of the fiscal affairs of their respective county in accordance with this part and other applicable law.

(a) County institution district taxes.--The county commissioners of each county of the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth class may, by resolution, provide for the billing and collecting of all county and county institution district taxes levied within a third class …

(a) Rental income.--If the owner of residential or commercial real property that is located in a county of the second class A and subject to a claim owed to the county under the act of May 16, 1923 (P.L.207, No.153), referred to as the Municipal Claim and Tax Lien Law, derives an…

(a) Duties.-- (1) Subject to the power and duty of the county commissioners to manage and administer the fiscal affairs of the county, the controller shall supervise the fiscal affairs of the county, including the related accounts and official acts of all officers or other person…

(a) Furnishing information.--If requested by the county commissioners, the controller shall furnish a detailed account of an officer or other individual having in that individual's possession or under that individual's control money belonging to the county and shall, during regul…

The controller shall have custody of and retain in original or other acceptable form, as provided in the most recent edition of the County Records Manual issued for the County Records Committee by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, all title deeds to real estate o…

The following shall apply: (1) The controller shall maintain a full and regular set of financial records, including the general ledger, in electronic form or otherwise, which support financial statements in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles of all the fisca…

(a) Investment standards.-- (1) Subject to subsection (b)(1) and any conditions and limitations in this chapter, in counties of the second class A, the county treasurer shall have the power to invest and reinvest the money of the general fund and special funds that have accumulat…

(a) Reports and audit, settlement and adjustment of accounts.-- (1) At the end of each fiscal year, the controller or auditors, as the case may be, shall complete the audit, settlement and adjustment of the accounts of all county officers. (2) The controller or auditors shall mak…

(a) Specific accounts.--The county controller or county auditors shall audit, settle and adjust the accounts of: (1) Each parole and probation officer appointed by a court under law who receives money paid under an order, sentence or judgment of a court and report the results of …

For the purposes of this part relating to the auditing of accounts and the purchasing of insurance, money held by any county official in escrow shall be deemed the same as county money or public money.

(a) Subpoena and power to compel.--The controller or auditors may issue a subpoena to obtain the attendance of an officer whose accounts the controller or auditors are required to adjust, including an executor or administrator of the officer, and of any person whom it may be nece…

(a) Power.--The controller or auditors may administer oaths and affirmations to each person brought or appearing before the controller or auditors, whether accountants, witnesses or otherwise. (b) Penalty.--A person swearing or affirming falsely on examination commits perjury.

A person commits a misdemeanor for any of the following: (1) Refusing to appear or produce documents after being served a subpoena in accordance with this chapter. (2) After appearing before the controller or auditors for examination, refusing to take oath or affirmation. (3) Aft…

Witnesses appearing before the controller or auditors shall receive the same allowance as is received by witnesses appearing before the courts of this Commonwealth. The allowance shall be paid out of the county treasury and, if final judgment is given against an officer whose acc…

If any person in possession of books, vouchers or papers relative to public accounts before the controller or auditors refuses to produce the documents, or if any officer whose accounts are to be settled and adjusted by the controller or auditors refuses to attend or submit to ex…

(a) Filing among court records.--The reports of the controller or auditors shall be filed among the records of the court of common pleas of the county. (b) Surcharge.--The amount of any balance or shortage or of any expenditure of a kind, or made in a manner prohibited or not aut…

(a) Right of appeal.--An appeal may be taken from a report to the court of common pleas by: (1) the Commonwealth; (2) the county; (3) the officer; or (4) 10 or more taxpayers on behalf of the county. (b) Conditions.--The following apply: (1) An appeal under subsection (a) shall b…

The courts of common pleas shall direct the form in which the issues shall be entered in all appeals from the reports of the county controller or auditors. The issues shall be tried by a jury or may be submitted to reference and arbitration in the manner and subject to the procee…

(a) Award.--Upon final determination of an appeal taken under section 14931 (relating to appeals from reports), attorney fees shall be awarded as follows: (1) If the court's final determination is more favorable to the officer involved than that awarded by the controller or audit…

(a) General duties.--The controller or the county commissioners in counties without a controller shall scrutinize, audit and decide on all bills, claims or demands whatsoever against the county, except as otherwise provided in this subchapter. (b) Presentation of claim and eviden…