Title 16, COUNTIES

A flagstaff shall be erected upon any county memorial hall from which the flag of the United States shall be displayed from sunrise to sunset on each day of the year.

In a county in which there is a memorial hall in honor of the soldiers, sailors or marines from the county, the county commissioners may acquire additional land adjoining the memorial hall to enhance and preserve the beauty and character of the memorial hall or equip, furnish, de…

The county commissioners may levy and collect a tax upon the taxable persons and property within the county or increase the indebtedness of the county according to 53 Pa.C.S. Pt. VII Subpt. B (relating to indebtedness and borrowing) to pay for the following: (1) Erecting a memori…

The county commissioners may preserve, maintain and repair any public monument or memorial hall in the county, other than in cemeteries, including the enclosed public ground surrounding the monument, and appropriate money for these purposes. If a public monument referred to in th…

Counties may acquire property according to this chapter for the purpose of erecting public auditoriums, public libraries, public memorial buildings and monuments.

Revenue derived from rental of a public auditorium shall first be devoted to the maintenance of the auditorium and any remaining annual balance accruing from rent shall be deposited in the general fund of the county.

The county commissioners may receive real or personal property which may be given or granted to the county by any lawful means for the use and purpose of providing a home within the county for the keeping and care of indigent orphans and children who depend on the county for supp…

An orphans' home shall be under the management and control of the county commissioners. The county commissioners may appoint a superintendent and assistants as necessary to properly conduct the affairs of the home.

Indigent orphans and children shall be admitted to an orphans' or childrens' home on order of the county commissioners.

If a property has been given or granted to a county for a childrens' home and a home is established, the county may appropriate money for the support and maintenance of orphans and children and for the payment of the salary of the superintendent and assistants.

The county commissioners may buy or lease land and construct and maintain on the land, at the expense of the county, a morgue for the reception of all deceased individuals under the care and custody of the coroner.

A county may enter upon, appropriate, injure or destroy private lands, property or material, or lands previously granted or dedicated to public use that are no longer used for the purpose for which the lands were granted, according to the proceedings set forth in 26 Pa.C.S. (rela…

(a) Prohibition.--Except as provided in subsection (b), land or property used for a cemetery, burying ground or place of public worship may not be taken or appropriated by virtue of a power contained in this chapter. (b) Exception for certain counties.--The prohibition in subsect…

A county shall declare its intention to acquire, enter upon, take, use and appropriate any private property or land for any of the purposes authorized by this chapter through a duly enacted ordinance.

Eminent domain proceedings must conform to the provisions of 26 Pa.C.S. (relating to eminent domain), including payment of damages and costs.

(a) General rule.--The county commissioners may designate and set apart for use as recreation places, or for the enlarging or extending of recreation places, any lands or buildings owned by the county and not dedicated or devoted to other public use. (b) Extension or enlargement …

The county commissioners may build, alter, extend, enlarge, manage, supervise, equip, ornament, operate and maintain recreation places and may vest the authority to do so in an existing body or board or in a park board, recreation board or fair board, any of which may be establis…

The county commissioners may establish a fair board, park board or recreation board, which shall possess all the powers and be subject to all the responsibilities of the county commissioners in the management, supervision, operation and maintenance of recreation places. A board s…

The members of a fair board, park board or recreation board shall elect a chairperson and secretary and select all other necessary officers to serve for a period of one year and may, with the consent and approval of the county commissioners, employ individuals as needed under thi…

The county commissioners may issue bonds, in accordance with 53 Pa.C.S. Pt. VII Subpt. B (relating to indebtedness and borrowing), for the purpose of acquiring lands or buildings for recreation places and for the construction, extension, enlargement, alteration or equipment there…

(a) General rule.--Expenses incurred in the operation of recreation places established under this chapter shall be payable from the treasury of the county. The county commissioners may annually appropriate and impose a tax to raise money for any of the purposes authorized in this…

The county commissioners shall have exclusive power to lease all buildings and facilities within the park limits and to collect rent, fees and other consideration.

All rents, license charges and fees, all fines, proceeds of sales and profits that are collected, received or realized from recreation places and buildings in any county, shall be paid into the county treasury. Money or property given or bequeathed to the county commissioners upo…

(a) Liability for violation.--A person violating any rules and regulations adopted for recreation places shall be liable to the full extent of any damage committed by that person, in trespass or other action, and a tenant or licensed party who violates any rule and regulation, or…

(a) Additional personnel permitted.--For the purpose of performing all necessary duties relating to establishing, making, enlarging, extending and maintaining public parks, buildings and other county-owned properties and for enforcing the rules and regulations ordained or resolve…

(a) Arrest and initial appearance.--The police, county park police or guards appointed to duty in a recreation place, building and other county-owned property may: (1) Arrest, without warrant, an offender against the rules and regulations, ordained or resolved by the county commi…

(a) Conveyance to county.--If the owner of any real property adapted to the use or purpose of public agriculture fairs or exhibits is willing to convey or devise the real property to the county wherein located, to be held in trust for the citizens and inhabitants of the county, t…

The county commissioners in counties of the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth class may appropriate money from the county treasury to aid municipal corporations in the purchase, construction, operation and maintenance of recreation places.

The following words and phrases when used in this chapter shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the context clearly indicates otherwise: "Bridge." The term includes bridges, viaducts and culverts and all items pertaining to bridges, viaducts and culverts. "…

(a) Bridges and viaducts.--The county commissioners may locate, lay out, open, construct, reconstruct, widen, straighten, extend, alter, replace, remove and otherwise provide for bridges and viaducts over streams and other topographical impediments to public traffic, as parts or …

Every county bridge under this chapter shall be maintained and kept in repair by the county or counties involved except as may be otherwise provided by agreements between or among the county or counties and other political subdivisions or other persons as to the costs of the main…

The county commissioners may purchase, in accordance with this part, accept by gift or acquire by the power of eminent domain real property devoted to private or public use in the manner provided by law.

If the county commissioners provide a bridge or viaduct under this chapter, the county commissioners shall prepare plans and surveys showing the location of the proposed structure, the structures approaches and the property or rights of property affected by the structure, togethe…

If a proposed bridge crosses a navigable stream or other public water or the property or right-of-way of any railroad or other public utility requiring the approval of any Federal or State officer, board or body as to the location and construction of the bridge or its approaches,…

If a bridge is proposed to be located in a municipality, the county may enter into an agreement with the municipality if the municipality bears a portion of the cost of the location, laying out, opening, construction and maintenance of the bridge or that the municipality provides…

(a) Boundary line bridge.--If a bridge under this chapter is on the boundary line between two counties or within one-fourth of a mile from a boundary line and necessary for the accommodation of the inhabitants of both counties, the county commissioners of the counties shall act j…

If, in accordance with this chapter, a county is authorized to erect a bridge, the county commissioners may purchase a bridge already erected at a reasonable cost instead of building a new bridge.

The county commissioners may take charge of or rebuild a bridge suitable for public traffic within the county that was abandoned by the owners.

(a) County acceptance of bridge as donation.--The county commissioners may accept, take charge of and enter into county records as a county bridge any bridge within the county which has: (1) been built at the expense of a private person or by a public subscription; (2) been opene…

If, in the construction, repair or maintenance of a county bridge or highway, it becomes necessary for the safety of the bridge or highway or economically advisable to widen, straighten, alter, protect or change the course of an unnavigable stream, it shall be lawful for the coun…

(a) Authority.--A county, for the purpose of protecting a county bridge or the abutments and approaches of a county bridge and any public highway adjacent to the county bridge from the incursions of the tide floods or waters of any stream, and to prolong the life of any structure…

If considered necessary for the safety and convenience of the traveling public, the county commissioners may provide a county bridge with lights of any kind and character that the county commissioners shall deem suitable and may contract with any individual or with any municipal …

If a county bridge is destroyed or rendered impassable, the county commissioners may provide, at the expense of the county, ferries or other temporary ways as a substitute for the destroyed or impassable bridge, until the bridge has been rebuilt or rendered fit for public travel.…

If it appears to the county commissioners that any county bridge, including any destroyed or partially destroyed bridge, has become burdensome and is no longer necessary for the accommodation of public travel, the county commissioners may close, vacate, abandon and remove the bri…

The county commissioners may enter into a contract or lease with a street railway, telegraph or telephone company or other public utility, or the successors or assigns of a street railway, telegraph or telephone company or other public utility, desiring to use a county bridge and…