A constable in PA is an elected peace officer who works for Pennsylvania’s court system, serving warrants, delivering legal papers, carrying out evictions, transporting prisoners, and keeping order at polling places on election day. Constables serve six-year terms in every township, borough, and city ward in the Commonwealth except Philadelphia. They are not police officers and not sheriff’s deputies. They are independent contractors who answer to the voters, to the courts that use them, and to the state agency that certifies them.
What a Constable Actually Does
Almost all of a constable’s work connects back to the courts, particularly the magisterial district courts that handle minor criminal matters, small civil disputes, and landlord-tenant cases.
Serving Warrants and Court Papers
Constables serve arrest warrants, bench warrants, and search warrants issued by magisterial district judges. They also deliver civil process: summonses, complaints, subpoenas, and protection-from-abuse orders. When a court needs someone physically found and handed a document, the constable is often the person who does it.
Carrying Out Evictions
When a landlord wins a possession judgment, the constable is the officer who executes the eviction. Under Pennsylvania’s minor court rules, the landlord requests an order of possession after judgment, the magisterial district judge issues it, and the order goes to a certified constable for service. If a residential tenant has not vacated after the ten-day waiting period, the constable is authorized to use necessary force to enter and remove the occupants.1Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Constable Field Reference Guide – Civil Law
Prisoner Transport and Court Security
Constables move defendants between holding facilities and courtrooms and provide security during district court proceedings. Both tasks require training in use of force and prisoner handling, covered in the mandatory certification program.
Polling Places on Election Day
Pennsylvania law requires constables (or their deputies) to be present at polling places in each election district on election days.2Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 44 Section 7152 – Elections Their job is to maintain order. If a disturbance breaks out or the entrance is obstructed, election officers or any three qualified voters in the district can call on a constable to quell it and clear the way for voters.3Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Statutes Title 25 Elections and Electoral Districts Section 3047 It is one of the few constable duties unrelated to the courts.
How a Constable Is Different From a Police Officer or Sheriff
Municipal police officers patrol neighborhoods, respond to 911 calls, and investigate crimes. State troopers cover highways and areas without local police. Constables do none of that. They are elected rather than hired, they set their own schedules, they use their own vehicles, and they are not supervised by any police department, municipal government, or county agency.4Penn State University. There’s a Constable Election This November – What Exactly Is a Constable? Their duties come from state statute and their pay comes from the courts that use their services.
Sheriffs are the closer comparison. Both are elected, both serve court orders. The difference is scale and setting. A sheriff operates at the county level with a full staff of deputies and typically runs the county jail. A constable operates at the municipal level, usually alone or with a single deputy, and has no jail responsibilities.
Where a Constable’s Authority Reaches, and Where It Stops
A constable’s home jurisdiction is the township, borough, or city ward where they were elected. But when carrying out a court order such as a warrant or civil process, that authority extends across the entire Commonwealth. A constable elected in a small Lancaster County borough can travel to Pittsburgh to serve a warrant issued by a magisterial district judge back home.
What constables cannot do is act as general patrol officers. They do not cruise neighborhoods looking for crime, run traffic stops, or lead criminal investigations. As peace officers they do have common-law authority to make warrantless arrests for felonies and breaches of the peace committed in their presence, but that power exists to handle situations arising during court-related work, not as a basis for proactive policing.5Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 44 Section 7151 – General Imposition of Duties and Grant of Powers
How Someone Becomes a Constable
The path starts at the ballot box. Constables are elected to six-year terms by voters in their borough, township, or city ward.6York County, PA. Constables Candidates must be qualified electors who reside in the municipality they seek to serve. Philadelphia is the sole exception; the constable system does not operate there.7Penn State Justice and Safety Institute. Constable Education Training Program
Elections are not the only way in. A county’s president judge may appoint a constable, and sitting constables can appoint deputies to help them.4Penn State University. There’s a Constable Election This November – What Exactly Is a Constable? If a vacancy opens mid-term, a qualified resident can petition the court by collecting at least ten signatures from registered voters in the municipality and filing with the Clerk of Courts. The court holds a hearing and, if the applicant qualifies, appoints them to finish the term.
Training and Certification
Winning the election is not enough on its own. Under Act 49 of 2009, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) runs a mandatory training and certification program for all constables and deputy constables. Newly elected or appointed constables must complete an 80-hour basic training course before they can perform judicial duties or be paid by the courts.8Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Constables’ Education and Training Penn State’s Justice and Safety Institute delivers the training on PCCD’s behalf. After that, constables must complete 20 hours of continuing education each year to keep their certification for the next calendar year.
Certification matters. A constable who skips the training cannot do judicial work and cannot be paid by the courts. The law also forbids a non-certified constable from holding themselves out as an agent or representative of any court or magisterial district judge, even while performing non-judicial tasks.9Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 44 Section 7142 – Conduct and Insurance
How Constables Get Paid
Constables draw no salary. They are paid fees set by statute for each service they perform, which makes them closer to freelancers than employees. The fee schedule sits in 44 Pa.C.S. § 7161. Serving a subpoena, for example, pays $13 for the first witness, plus $5 for each additional witness at the same address, plus $2.50 for the return of service, along with mileage. The court pays the same fee even when service is attempted at a wrong address supplied by the requesting party.10Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 44 Section 7161 – Fees For services not specifically listed, the court pays an equivalent amount based on similar tasks. Mileage is reimbursed.
Because pay is tied to volume, a constable’s income depends entirely on what the local courts generate. In a busy district, the work can fill a schedule. In a quiet rural township, the role may produce very little income, which is why many constables treat it as a part-time position alongside other employment.
Who Holds Constables Accountable
Constables work independently, but they are not without oversight. The PCCD is the primary regulatory body: it sets training standards, administers certification, and requires constables to register with the Commission.8Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Constables’ Education and Training Losing certification strips a constable of the ability to do most meaningful work in the role.
The courts provide a second layer. A Court of Common Pleas judge can remove a constable for misconduct, including neglect of duty, abuse of power, or corruption, and citizens can file complaints through the judicial system. Because constables are elected, voters have the final check every six years.
Pennsylvania law also requires constables to post a surety bond before taking office. The bond is a financial guarantee of faithful performance and protects members of the public who are harmed by a constable’s neglect or misconduct. The court sets the bond amount within a range established by statute. On top of that, a constable who exceeds their authority can face a federal civil rights lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 1983, with qualified immunity available as a defense only when the conduct did not violate a clearly established right. The certification requirement under Act 49 exists in part to keep constables inside those legal boundaries.