All employees and visitors entering a First Judicial District facility will no longer be required to wear a mask. All jury trial participants will still be required to wear a mask. Click here for full notice.
NOTICE
Currently, we are accepting new cases in person. Appointments are preferred.
The Civil Division of the Municipal Court deals with these types of civil cases: Landlord and Tenant cases, Code Enforcement cases, and Small Claims cases up to $12,000.
Civil cases are between people or organizations, like businesses. A few examples of civil cases are personal injury and contract disagreements.
When someone owes you money or property, you have a few options:
Learn more about the types of cases we process in the Civil Division
Small Claims are cases that involve disagreements about money one person owes another. Here at the Philadelphia Municipal Court, we deal with Small Claims cases involving up to $12,000. Small Claims Court is a simpler, faster, and cheaper way to go to court.
A Landlord-Tenant Case involves a written lease or verbal rental agreement. The court does not deal with cases involving a squatter and cannot force a landlord to make repairs.
When a person or organization breaks a city code, like real estate taxes or business taxes, city agencies can ask them to fix it. If the issue is not fixed, the city agency can submit a case in Municipal Court and a hearing is scheduled.
Anyone can submit a criminal case with the court, even if there is not a police report. These are called private criminal complaints. Most private criminal complaints involve disagreements between family members or neighbors.
Learn common court words and legal terms with this short video
Small Claims
Landlord-Tenant
Small Claims
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Call 215-686-7000 for general court information.