shall mean any process under which the court in question retains the final authority to make factual determinations pertaining to allegations of a municipal ordinance violation, including, but not limited to, the use of a system of administrative adjudication as provided in section 479.011, preliminary to a determination by appeal to the court in question.

may hear and determine originally all cases of felony, misdemeanor and infractions and may hear and determine upon a trial de novo cases of misdemeanor and infractions.

courts; (5) the justices' courts; (6) the city courts and such other courts of limited jurisdiction as the legislature may establish in any incorporated city or town.

other writs as may be provided by law. It has general supervisory control over all other courts. It may make rules governing appellate procedure, practice and procedure for all other courts, admission to the bar and the conduct of its members. Rules of procedure shall be subject to disapproval by the legislature in either of the two sessions following promulgation. Supreme court process shall extend to all parts of the state.

to its jurisdiction. It shall have the power of naturalization and such additional jurisdiction as may be delegated by the laws of the United States or the state of Montana. Its process shall extend to all parts of the state. The district court shall hear appeals from inferior courts as trials anew unless otherwise provided by law. The legislature may provide for direct review by the district court of decisions of administrative agencies. Other courts may have jurisdiction of criminal cases not amounting to felony and such jurisdiction concurrent with that of the district court as may be provided by law.

subsection (3). These costs include but are not limited to the following: (a) salaries and benefits for: (i) district court judges; (ii) law clerks; (iii) court reporters, as provided in 3-5-601; (iv) juvenile probation officers, youth division offices staff, and assessment officers of the youth court; and (v) other employees of the district court; (b) in criminal cases: (i) fees for transcripts of proceedings, as provided in 3-5-604; (ii) witness fees and necessary expenses, as provided in 46-15-116; (iii) juror fees and necessary expenses; (iv) for a psychiatric examination under 46-14-202, the cost of the examination and other associated expenses, as provided in 46-14-202(4); and (v) for commitment under 46-14-221, the cost of transporting the defendant to the custody of the director of the department of public health and human services to be placed in an appropriate facility of the department of public health and human services and of transporting the defendant back for any proceedings, as provided in 46-14-221(5); (c) except as provided in 47-1-201(5), the district court expenses in all postconviction proceedings held pursuant to Title 46, chapter 21, and in all habeas corpus proceedings held pursuant to Title 46, chapter 22, and appeals from those proceedings; (d) except as provided in 47-1-201(5), the following expenses incurred by the state in federal habeas corpus cases that challenge the validity of a conviction or of a sentence: (i) transcript fees; (ii) witness fees; and (iii) expenses for psychiatric examinations; (e) except as provided in 47-1-201(5), the following expenses incurred by the state in a proceeding held pursuant to Title 41, chapter 3, part 4 or 6, that seeks temporary investigative authority of a youth, temporary legal custody of a youth, or termination of the parent-child legal relationship and permanent custody: (i) transcript fees; (ii) witness fees; (iii) expenses for medical and psychological evaluation of a youth or the youth's parent, guardian, or other person having physical or legal custody of the youth except for expenses for services that a person is eligible to receive under a public program that provides medical or psychological evaluation; (iv) expenses associated with appointment of a guardian ad litem or child advocate for the youth; and (v) expenses associated with court-ordered alternative dispute resolution; (f) except as provided in 47-1-201(5), costs of juror and witness fees and witness expenses before a grand jury; (g) costs of the court-sanctioned educational program concerning the effects of dissolution of marriage on children, as required in 40-4-226, and expenses of education when ordered for the investigation and preparation of a report concerning parenting arrangements, as provided in 40-4-215(2)(a); (h) except as provided in 47-1-201(5), all district court expenses associated with civil jury trials if similar expenses were paid out of the district court fund or the county general fund in any previous year; (i) all other costs associated with the operation and maintenance of the district court, including contract costs for court reporters who are independent contractors; and (j) costs associated with the operation and maintenance of the youth court and youth court division operations pursuant to 41-5-111 and subsection (1)(a) of this section, except for those costs paid by other entities identified in Title 41, chapter 5. (2) If a cost is not paid directly by the office of court administrator, the county shall pay the cost and the office of court administrator shall reimburse the county within 30 days of receipt of a claim. (3) For the purposes of subsection (1), district court costs paid by the office of court administrator do not include: (a) costs for clerks of district court and employees and expenses of the offices of the clerks of district court; (b) costs of providing and maintaining district court office space; or (c) charges incurred against a county by virtue of any provision of Title 7 or 46. Credits

actions and proceedings provided for in 3-11-103. Municipal courts have concurrent jurisdiction with the district court in actions arising under Title 70, chapters 24 through 27. Applications for search warrants and complaints charging the commission of a felony may be filed in municipal court. The municipal court judge has the same jurisdiction and responsibility as a justice of the peace, including holding preliminary hearings. The city attorney may initiate proceedings charging a felony if the offense was committed within the city limits, but the county attorney shall take charge of the action if an information is filed in district court.

the water division or water divisions that contain the judicial district wholly or partly. A water judge may not preside over matters concerning the determination and interpretation of cases certified to the court under 85-2-309 or of existing water rights beyond the boundaries specified in 3-7-102 for the judge's division except as provided in 3-7-201. The water judge for each division shall exercise jurisdiction over all matters concerning cases certified to the court under 85-2-309 or concerning the determination and interpretation of existing water rights within the judge's division as specified in 3-7-102 that are considered filed in or transferred to a judicial district wholly or partly within the division. The determination and interpretation of existing water rights includes, without limitation, the adjudication of total or partial abandonment of existing water rights occurring at any time before the entry of the final decree.

of all misdemeanors punishable by a fine not exceeding $500 or imprisonment not exceeding 6 months, or both; (b) jurisdiction of all misdemeanor violations of fish and game statutes punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000 or imprisonment for not more than 6 months, or both; (c) concurrent jurisdiction with district courts of all misdemeanors punishable by a fine exceeding $500 or imprisonment exceeding 6 months, or both; (d) concurrent jurisdiction with district courts of all misdemeanor violations of fish and game statutes punishable by a fine exceeding $1,000 or imprisonment exceeding 6 months, or both; (e) jurisdiction to act as examining and committing courts and for that purpose to conduct preliminary hearings; (f) jurisdiction of all violations of Title 61, chapter 10; and (g) all misdemeanor violations of Title 81, chapter 8, part 2. (2) In any county that has established a drug treatment court or a mental health treatment court, the district court, with the consent of all judges of the courts of limited jurisdiction in the county, has concurrent jurisdiction of all misdemeanors punishable by a fine not exceeding $500 or imprisonment not exceeding 6 months, or both.

search warrants and complaints charging the commission of a felony may be filed in the city court. When they are filed, the city judge has the same jurisdiction and responsibility as a justice of the peace, including the holding of a preliminary hearing. The city attorney may file an application for a search warrant or a complaint charging the commission of a felony when the offense was committed within the city limits. The county attorney, however, must handle any action after a defendant is bound over to district court.

amount of the taxes or assessments sought does not exceed $9,500, actions for the collection of taxes or assessments levied for any of the following purposes, except that no lien on the property taxed or assessed for the nonpayment of the taxes or assessments may be foreclosed in any such action: (a) city or town purposes; (b) the erection or improvement of public buildings; (c) the laying out, opening, or improving of a public street, sidewalk, alley, or bridge; (d) the acquisition or improvement of any public grounds; and (e) public improvements made or ordered by the city or town within its limits; (3) actions for the collection of money due to the city or town or from the city or town to any person when the amount sought, exclusive of interest and costs, does not exceed $9,500; (4) when the amount claimed, exclusive of costs, does not exceed $9,500, actions for: (a) the breach of an official bond given by a city or town officer; (b) the breach of any contract when the city or town is a party or is in any way interested; (c) damages when the city or town is a party or is in any way interested; (d) the enforcement of forfeited recognizances given to, for the benefit of, or on behalf of the city or town; and (e) collection on bonds given upon an appeal taken from the judgment of the court in any action mentioned in subsections (4)(a) through (4)(d); (5) actions for the recovery of personal property belonging to the city or town when the value of the property, exclusive of the damages for the taking or detention, does not exceed $9,500; and (6) actions for the collection of a license fee required by an ordinance of the city or town.

business, civil and criminal. On nonjudicial days, as defined in 3-1-302, the court may transact criminal business only.

the county is located or by county initiative as provided in Title 7, chapter 5, part 1. Upon passage of the resolution or initiative, the judge of the appropriate judicial district shall, by court order, establish a small claims court under the provisions of this chapter. When the order is filed with the clerk of the district court of the appropriate county, the clerk of the district court becomes the clerk of the small claims court.

Quo warranto as to any officer of Statewide jurisdiction. § 722. Direct appeals from courts of common pleas. The Supreme Court shall have exclusive jurisdiction of appeals from final orders of the courts of common pleas in the following classes of cases: (1) Matters prescribed by general rule. (2) The right to public office. (3) Matters where the qualifications, tenure or right to serve, or the manner of service, of any member of the judiciary is drawn in question. (4) Automatic review of sentences as provided by 42 Pa.C.S. §§ 9546(d) (relating to relief and order) and 9711(h) (relating to review of death sentence). (5) Supersession of a district attorney by an Attorney General or by a court or where the matter relates to the convening, supervision, administration, operation or discharge of an investigating grand jury or otherwise directly affects such a grand jury or any investigation conducted by it. (6) Matters where the right or power of the Commonwealth or any political subdivision to create or issue indebtedness is drawn in direct question. (7) Matters where the court of common pleas has held invalid as repugnant to the Constitution, treaties or laws of the United States, or to the Constitution of this Commonwealth, any treaty or law of the United States or any provision of the Constitution of, or of any statute of, this Commonwealth, or any provision of any home rule charter. (8) Matters where the right to practice law is drawn in direct question. § 723. Appeals from Commonwealth Court. (a) General rule.--The Supreme Court shall have exclusive jurisdiction of appeals from final orders of the Commonwealth Court entered in any matter which was originally commenced in the Commonwealth Court except an order entered in a matter which constitutes an appeal to the Commonwealth Court from another court, a magisterial district judge or another government unit. (b) Board of Finance and Revenue matters.--Any final order of the Commonwealth Court entered in any appeal from a decision of the Board of Finance and Revenue shall be appealable to the Supreme Court, as of right, under this section. § 724. Allowance of appeals from Superior and Commonwealth Courts. (a) General rule.--Except as provided by section 9781(f) (relating to limitation on additional appellate review), final orders of the Superior Court and final orders of the Commonwealth Court not appealable under section 723 (relating to appeals from Commonwealth Court) may be reviewed by the Supreme Court upon allowance of appeal by any two justices of the Supreme Court upon petition of any party to the matter. If the petition shall be granted, the Supreme Court shall have jurisdiction to review the order in the manner provided by section 5105(d)(1) (relating to scope of appeal). (b) Improvident appeals.--If an appeal is improvidently taken to the Supreme Court under section 723 in a case where the proper mode of review is by petition for allowance of appeal under this section, this alone shall not be a ground for dismissal, but the papers whereon the appeal was taken shall be regarded and acted on as a petition for allowance of appeal and as if duly filed at the time the appeal was taken. § 725. Direct appeals from constitutional and judicial agencies. The Supreme Court shall have exclusive jurisdiction of appeals from final orders of the following constitutional and judicial agencies: (1) Legislative Reapportionment Commission. (2) Court of Judicial Discipline, except matters within the exclusive jurisdiction of a special tribunal as established under section 18(c)(1) of Article V of the Constitution of Pennsylvania. (3) The agency vested with the power to determine whether those members of the minor judiciary required to do so have completed a course of training and instruction in the duties of their respective offices and passed an examination. (4) The agency vested with the power to admit or recommend the admission of persons to the bar and the practice of law. (5) The agency vested with the power to discipline or recommend the discipline of attorneys at law. § 726. Extraordinary jurisdiction. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Supreme Court may, on its own motion or upon petition of any party, in any matter pending before any court or magisterial district judge of this Commonwealth involving an issue of immediate public importance, assume plenary jurisdiction of such matter at any stage thereof and enter a final order or otherwise cause right and justice to be done.

matters within its appellate jurisdiction, and except that it, or any judge thereof, shall have full power and authority when and as often as there may be occasion, to issue writs of habeas corpus under like conditions returnable to the said court. § 742. Appeals from courts of common pleas. The Superior Court shall have exclusive appellate jurisdiction of all appeals from final orders of the courts of common pleas, regardless of the nature of the controversy or the amount involved, except such classes of appeals as are by any provision of this chapter within the exclusive jurisdiction of the Supreme Court or the Commonwealth Court.

in his official capacity, except: (i) actions or proceedings in the nature of applications for a writ of habeas corpus or post-conviction relief not ancillary to proceedings within the appellate jurisdiction of the court; (ii) eminent domain proceedings; (iii) actions or proceedings conducted pursuant to Chapter 85 (relating to matters affecting government units); (iv) actions or proceedings conducted pursuant to the act of May 20, 1937 (P.L.728, No.193), referred to as the Board of Claims Act; and (v) actions or proceedings in the nature of trespass as to which the Commonwealth government formerly enjoyed sovereign or other immunity and actions or proceedings in the nature of assumpsit relating to such actions or proceedings in the nature of trespass. (2) By the Commonwealth government, including any officer thereof, acting in his official capacity, except eminent domain proceedings. (3) Arising under Article V of the act of May 17, 1921 (P.L.789, No.285), known as "The Insurance Department Act of 1921." (4) Original jurisdiction of which is vested in the Commonwealth Court by any statute hereafter enacted. (b) Concurrent and exclusive jurisdiction.--The jurisdiction of the Commonwealth Court under subsection (a) shall be exclusive except as provided in section 721 (relating to original jurisdiction) and except with respect to actions or proceedings by the Commonwealth government, including any officer thereof, acting in his official capacity, where the jurisdiction of the court shall be concurrent with the several courts of common pleas. (c) Ancillary matters.--The Commonwealth Court shall have original jurisdiction in cases of mandamus and prohibition to courts of inferior jurisdiction and other government units where such relief is ancillary to matters within its appellate jurisdiction, and it, or any judge thereof, shall have full power and authority when and as often as there may be occasion, to issue writs of habeas corpus under like conditions returnable to the said court. To the extent prescribed by general rule the Commonwealth Court shall have ancillary jurisdiction over any claim or other matter which is related to a claim or other matter otherwise within its exclusive original jurisdiction.

503 (relating to reassignment of matters) vested in another court of this Commonwealth, the courts of common pleas shall have unlimited original jurisdiction of all actions and proceedings, including all actions and proceedings heretofore cognizable by law or usage in the courts of common pleas. (b) Concurrent and exclusive jurisdiction.--The jurisdiction of the courts of common pleas under this section shall be exclusive except with respect to actions and proceedings concurrent jurisdiction of which is by statute or by general rule adopted pursuant to section 503 vested in another court of this Commonwealth or in the magisterial district judges. § 932. Appeals from minor judiciary. Except as otherwise prescribed by any general rule adopted pursuant to section 503 (relating to reassignment of matters), each court of common pleas shall have exclusive jurisdiction of appeals from final orders of the minor judiciary established within the judicial district. § 933. Appeals from government agencies. (a) General rule.--Except as otherwise prescribed by any general rule adopted pursuant to section 503 (relating to reassignment of matters), each court of common pleas shall have jurisdiction of appeals from final orders of government agencies in the following cases: (1) Appeals from Commonwealth agencies in the following cases: (i) Determinations of the Department of Health in connection with any matters concerning birth records. Except as prescribed by general rules, the venue of such matters shall be as provided in 20 Pa.C.S. § 711(9) (relating to birth records) and 20 Pa.C.S. § 713 (relating to special provisions for Philadelphia County). (ii) Determinations of the Department of Transportation appealable under the following provisions of Title 75 (relating to vehicles): Section 1377 (relating to judicial review). Section 1550 (relating to judicial review). Section 4724(b) (relating to judicial review). Section 7303(b) (relating to judicial review). Section 7503(b) (relating to judicial review). Except as otherwise prescribed by general rules, the venue shall be in the county of the principal place of business of any salvor or messenger service, the location of any inspection station involved, the county where the arrest for a violation of 75 Pa.C.S. § 3802 (relating to driving under influence of alcohol or controlled substance) was made in appeals involving the suspension of operating privileges under 75 Pa.C.S. § 1547 (relating to chemical testing to determine amount of alcohol or controlled substance) or the residence of any individual appellant where the venue is not otherwise fixed by this sentence. In the case of a nonresident individual venue, except as otherwise prescribed by general rules, shall be in the county in which the offense giving rise to the recall, cancellation, suspension or revocation of operating privileges occurred. (iii) (Deleted by amendment). (iv) Determinations of the Workers' Compensation Appeal Board appealable under the act of June 21, 1939 (P.L.566, No.284), known as The Pennsylvania Occupational Disease Act. Except as otherwise prescribed by general rules, the venue of such matters shall be as provided in section 427 of the act. (v) Determinations of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board appealable under the act of April 12, 1951 (P.L.90, No.21), known as the Liquor Code, except matters appealable under section 433, 444 or 710 of the act. Except as otherwise prescribed by general rules, the venue of such matters shall be as provided in the act. (vi) Determinations of the Department of Revenue reviewable under Article XXI of the act of March 4, 1971 (P.L.6, No.2), known as the Tax Reform Code of 1971, or under any predecessor statute, in connection with the administration of the estate of a decedent. Except as otherwise prescribed by general rules, the venue of such matters shall be in the court having jurisdiction over the administration of the related estate. (vii) (Deleted by amendment). (viii) (Deleted by amendment). (ix) Determinations of the Department of Labor and Industry or the Department of Commerce reviewable under the act of December 15, 1980 (P.L.1203, No.222), known as the Building Energy Conservation Act. Except as otherwise prescribed by general rules, venue shall be in the county where the building is located. (2) Appeals from government agencies, except Commonwealth agencies, under Subchapter B of Chapter 7 of Title 2 (relating to judicial review of local agency action) or otherwise. (3) Appeals jurisdiction of which is vested in the courts of common pleas by any statute hereafter enacted. (b) Awards of arbitrators.--Except as otherwise prescribed by any general rule adopted pursuant to section 503, each court of common pleas shall have jurisdiction of petitions for review of an award of arbitrators appointed in conformity with statute to arbitrate a dispute between a government agency, except a Commonwealth agency, and an employee of such agency. The application shall be deemed an appeal from a government agency for the purposes of section 762(4) (relating to appeals from courts of common pleas) and Chapter 55 (relating to limitation of time). (c) Concurrent and exclusive jurisdiction.--Except as otherwise provided by statute or prescribed by general rule adopted pursuant to section 503: (1) The jurisdiction of a court of common pleas of a judicial district under this section shall be exclusive as to a government agency which has jurisdiction only within such judicial district, and shall be concurrent with the courts of common pleas of all judicial districts in which the government agency has jurisdiction where such agency has jurisdiction in more than one judicial district. (2) Whenever proceedings are commenced in two or more courts with respect to the same determination of a government agency, exclusive jurisdiction shall be vested in the court having jurisdiction in which such proceedings are first commenced.

Municipal Court.(7) Pittsburgh Magistrates Court.(8) Traffic Court of Philadelphia.(9) Magisterial district judges. All courts and magisterial district judges and their jurisdiction shall be in this unified judicial system.