The Chippewa magistrate court is Magisterial District Court 36-3-02, the local entry-level court serving Chippewa Township and nearby municipalities in Beaver County, Pennsylvania. Judge Steven Necaster presides, and the office sits at 19 Cessna Drive, Beaver Falls, PA 15010. Along with Chippewa Township, the court covers South Beaver Township, Darlington Township, Darlington Borough, Big Beaver Borough, New Galilee, Homewood, and Koppel.1Beaver County Pennsylvania. District Court Locations and Contact Information
What Cases the Court Hears
Under 42 Pa.C.S. ยง 1515, magisterial district judges hear civil claims up to $12,000, not counting interest or court costs. That includes breach of contract disputes, property damage, and personal injury claims. A plaintiff with a larger claim can voluntarily reduce it to fit under the cap, though that waiver falls away if the other side appeals.2Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Title 42 Section 1515 – Jurisdiction and Venue
Landlord-tenant cases, including evictions for unpaid rent or lease violations, are handled here. On the criminal side, the court holds preliminary hearings for misdemeanors and felonies, deciding whether a case has enough evidence to be sent up to the Beaver County Court of Common Pleas. Summary offenses such as disorderly conduct, harassment, and retail theft are resolved here outright, without a jury. Certain first-offense DUI cases can also be handled at this level if the defendant pleads guilty, nobody else was injured, and property damage to others stayed under $500.2Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Title 42 Section 1515 – Jurisdiction and Venue
Deadlines To File a Civil Case
Pennsylvania sets hard time limits. Personal injury claims must be filed within two years of the injury.3Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Title 42 Section 5524 – Two Year Limitation Breach of a written contract carries a four-year deadline, and oral contracts carry two. Miss the window and the court will almost certainly dismiss the case regardless of its merits. The deadline runs to the date you file, not the date of the hearing, so waiting until the final weeks is a bad idea.
How To File a Civil Complaint
To start a case, complete form AOPC 308A, the civil complaint, available at the court office or from the Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania website.4Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. AOPC 308A – Civil Complaint You need the defendant’s full legal name and a current residential address. A P.O. box will not work, because the constable or sheriff needs a physical location for service. You also need a specific dollar figure for your damages, broken down to show how you got there.
If the defendant is a business, use the entity’s exact legal name and identify its registered agent or an officer. Pennsylvania’s Department of State offers a free Business Entity Search for looking that up.5Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Record Searches Keep your statement of the claim short and factual: what happened, when, and how much you lost. Errors or missing details can delay scheduling or lead to dismissal.
Filing Fees and Service Costs
Civil filing fees scale with the amount of the claim:
- Up to $500: $67.00
- $500.01 to $2,000: $89.00
- $2,000.01 to $4,000: $111.50
- $4,000.01 to $12,000: $167.00
A separate constable charge for serving the complaint runs roughly $50 to $65 depending on mileage.6Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. Magisterial District Judge Cost Table If you win, those costs are normally added to the judgment the defendant owes. Payment by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express, or ATM card can be made through the UJS portal.7Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. Pay Online – UJS Portal Money orders and certified checks are accepted at the counter; personal checks generally are not.
What Happens at the Hearing
Once you file, the judge writes a hearing date and time directly on the complaint, and a copy is delivered to the defendant by mail or in person by a constable or sheriff. Hearings usually fall within a few weeks, subject to the court’s calendar.
At the hearing, both sides present their evidence to the judge. There is no jury. Bring everything that supports your case: receipts, photographs, contracts, text messages, repair estimates, and witnesses. The judge may question both parties. If the defendant fails to appear, the judge can enter a default judgment for you.
A decision must be issued within three days of the hearing.8Pennsylvania Code. Pennsylvania Code Rule 514 – Judgment and Notice of Judgment or Dismissal Either side has 30 days to appeal to the Beaver County Court of Common Pleas, where the case starts over as a new trial.
Collecting a Judgment
Winning on paper and getting paid are not the same thing. If the defendant does not pay, you can file a Request for Order of Execution, which lists the judgment amount, accrued interest, court costs, and the execution fee. Once the judge signs it, a sheriff or certified constable can seize and sell the defendant’s property to satisfy the debt.9Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. Request for Order of Execution
You cannot execute on a judgment until the 30-day appeal window has run. If the defendant appeals, collection pauses until the Court of Common Pleas resolves things. Even after the window closes, some property is exempt from seizure under Pennsylvania law, and a defendant with no attachable assets can make collection difficult no matter what the judgment says.
Responding to a Traffic or Summary Citation
If you receive a traffic ticket or non-traffic summary citation in one of the municipalities this court covers, you have 10 days from the date of issuance to respond. The citation itself has sections for your plea. You can plead guilty and pay the fine and costs printed on the citation, or plead not guilty and request a hearing.10Pennsylvania Code. Pennsylvania Code Rule 403 – Contents of Citation
A not-guilty plea requires posting collateral equal to the fine and costs on the citation. If you mail the plea in, include the full collateral with your response. When the fine is not specified, default collateral is $50. If paying the collateral is not possible, you can appear in person before the judge to enter your plea and ask for a reduced deposit.11Pennsylvania Code. Pennsylvania Code Rule 408 – Not Guilty Pleas and Notice of Trial The collateral is applied toward your fine if you are found guilty, or refunded if the charges are dismissed.
Ignoring a citation has real consequences. The court can issue a bench warrant. For traffic violations, PennDOT will suspend your driver’s license if you fail to respond or fail to pay the imposed fine and costs, and that suspension stays in effect until the citation is resolved.12Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes Title 75 Section 1533 – Suspension of Operating Privilege for Failure to Respond to Citation
Representing Yourself or a Business
You do not need a lawyer in magisterial district court. Most people represent themselves, and the proceedings are built to be accessible without legal training. Hiring an attorney is still an option if you want one.
Businesses get a useful break here. Under Rule 207 of the Magisterial District Judges Rules of Civil Procedure, a corporation, LLC, or similar entity can be represented by an officer, employee, or authorized agent with personal knowledge of the dispute. The representative must file written authorization from a company officer and verify firsthand familiarity with the facts.13Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. Rule 207 – Representation in Magisterial District Court Proceedings That flexibility ends on appeal: at the Court of Common Pleas, the business must hire a licensed attorney.
If you need a language interpreter or a hearing accommodation, the court system provides interpreters at no charge. Contact the Language Access Coordinator for Beaver County’s judicial district before your hearing. The Unified Judicial System has a dedicated interpreter request form for magisterial district court cases.14Unified Judicial System of Pennsylvania. Interpreter Program
Location, Hours, and Contact
Magisterial District Court 36-3-02 is at 19 Cessna Drive, Beaver Falls, PA 15010. The phone number is 724-770-2003. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., with the office closed for lunch from noon to 1:00 p.m. State holidays are observed.1Beaver County Pennsylvania. District Court Locations and Contact Information If you are coming in to file paperwork or make a payment, arrive well before closing so there is time to process the forms.