Pennsylvania State Constable Filson

Pennsylvania constables are elected peace officers belonging to the executive branch of government. While they are ultimately answerable to the Governor, they operate without formal oversight from any state agency. Constables provide critical services to the Magisterial District Courts, but they are not part of the judicial branch. Instead, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court legally classifies them as independent contractors when performing these court duties. As peace officers, constables have the immediate authority to stop disturbances of the peace, which are legally defined as imminent dangers to people or property, such as stepping in to arrest participants in a public brawl.

What surprises many citizens is that constables receive absolutely no taxpayer funding, regular salaries, or county benefits. Unlike the Pennsylvania State Police, local police departments, or county sheriffs, constables are completely self-funded. They personally pay for 100% of their own equipment, duty vehicles, liability insurance, and mandatory state training.

Instead of draining public tax dollars, constables operate strictly on a statutory fee-for-service basis and actually serve as a major revenue generator for the Commonwealth. By serving civil court papers and executing outstanding arrest warrants, constables recover and bring millions of dollars in unpaid fines and fees back into state and local government treasuries every single year.