Pennsylvania does not run a single statewide public defender agency. Each of its 67 counties must provide a lawyer to people charged with crimes who cannot afford one. A person arrested in Erie therefore deals with a different office than someone charged in Lancaster. Intake forms, hours and phone numbers differ from county to county. This page explains how the system is organised and how to reach the right office.

How Pennsylvania's County-Based Public Defense System Is Organised

The legal starting point is the right to counsel. The Sixth Amendment, applied to the states through Gideon v. Wainwright in 1963, requires a lawyer for people facing jail who cannot pay for one. Article I, Section 9 of the Pennsylvania Constitution also protects a person's right to be heard through counsel in a criminal prosecution.

The day-to-day structure comes from the County Public Defender Act of 1968, found at 16 P.S. § 9960.1 and following. Under that law, county government creates and funds the office, and county commissioners generally appoint the chief public defender. No state agency hires defenders, sets caseload limits or assigns you to an office. Your county does.

Pennsylvania has long been cited as a state that leaves almost all of the cost of indigent defense to its counties. Funding and staffing therefore depend on local budgets. Some offices are full-time operations with investigators and specialised units. Others run with a handful of lawyers, and in smaller counties some defenders have historically worked part time alongside a private practice.

Two large jurisdictions follow their own models. In Philadelphia, the Defender Association of Philadelphia, a nonprofit, has handled most indigent criminal cases for decades. Allegheny County, which includes Pittsburgh, runs its own county Office of the Public Defender. If your case is in either place, search for those offices by name.

Who Qualifies for a Court-Appointed Lawyer in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania has no single statewide income cutoff. Each county sets its own standard, and many compare household income and expenses to the federal poverty guidelines. You will usually complete a financial application listing your income, savings, debts and the people you support. The office or the judge then decides whether you qualify.

Pennsylvania Rule of Criminal Procedure 122 governs appointments. In court cases, meaning misdemeanors and felonies, counsel is to be appointed before the preliminary hearing for defendants without the financial resources to hire a lawyer. In summary cases, such as many traffic and local ordinance offenses, a lawyer is generally appointed only when jail is a real possibility.

Timing matters. After an arrest, you appear before a magisterial district judge for a preliminary arraignment shortly afterward. Tell the judge you cannot afford a lawyer and ask for a public defender at that moment. If you are not in custody, contact the county office as soon as you receive a charging document or court notice. Do not wait for the hearing date.

Cost varies by county. Ask at intake whether any application fee applies, and whether a court may later order you to repay part of the cost if your finances improve. Do not skip applying out of fear of cost. A lawyer you cannot afford is exactly what the system exists to provide.

Metro and Rural Public Defender Offices Across Pennsylvania

Where you live changes what the office looks like. In the Lehigh Valley, the Lehigh County Public Defender is at 455 Hamilton Street in Allentown (610-782-3157), and our Lehigh County page covers it. The Erie County office is at 509 Sassafras Street in Erie, and Erie County has its own page. Lancaster County's office is at 150 North Queen Street in Lancaster, and Delaware County's is at 313 West Front Street in Media. Larger counties typically have bigger staffs and more formal intake procedures.

Small-County Courthouses in North-Central and Western Pennsylvania

Rural counties often have one office in or near the courthouse. Potter County's is at 1 North Main Street in Coudersport, Fulton County's is at 216 North 2nd Street in McConnellsburg, and Pike County's is at 105 West High Street in Milford. Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion counties form a chain of neighbours, with offices in Clearfield, Brookville and Clarion. A rural defender may cover several courtrooms and long drives, so phone ahead to schedule a meeting instead of dropping in.

Watch for name confusion. The Franklin Public Defender at 1168 Liberty Street is in the city of Franklin, the seat of Venango County. The Franklin County Public Defender is at 157 Lincoln Way East in Chambersburg and is covered on our Franklin County page. These are different courts in different parts of the state.

Other listings follow the same pattern. Berwick, a town in Columbia County, has its own listing at 204 East 6th Street (570-752-4411), although the county seat is Bloomsburg. Confirm by phone which office will handle your hearing. Centre County's office is in the courthouse in Bellefonte, not in State College.

What to Bring and Which Office to Call

Call the office for the county where the charge was filed, not the county where you live. Someone charged in Bedford County, for example, deals with the Bedford County Public Defender at 200 South Juliana Street in Bedford (814-623-8606), wherever home is. Our Bedford County page lists that office. Bring as much of the following as you can:

How a Pennsylvania Criminal Case Moves and Where Your Defender Fits

Most Pennsylvania criminal cases begin in a magisterial district court. There the judge sets bail at the preliminary arraignment. Later a preliminary hearing decides whether the prosecution has enough evidence to send misdemeanor and felony charges onward. Cases that proceed move to the Court of Common Pleas in the county courthouse. Formal arraignment, pretrial motions, plea negotiations and trials take place there.

A public defender who enters early can challenge evidence at the preliminary hearing and argue for lower bail. The lawyer can also begin gathering records before witnesses become hard to find. Summary offenses, such as minor traffic or disorderly conduct citations, are normally resolved in the magisterial district court. An appeal from a summary conviction is heard anew in Common Pleas.

Expect busy dockets. Public defenders carry many cases, so be on time, return calls and keep every appointment. Missing a hearing can lead to a bench warrant. Before you leave a meeting, ask for the name of the lawyer assigned to your case and the date of your next court listing.

What a Pennsylvania Public Defender Will Not Handle

Public defenders represent people in criminal cases and certain related proceedings, including juvenile delinquency. They do not handle divorce, custody, landlord disputes, debt or injury claims. For civil problems, contact the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network or your county bar association's lawyer referral service. What you tell your public defender is protected by attorney-client privilege, so be honest about the facts from the first meeting.

Public defender services in Pennsylvania are organized either through a statewide public defender commission or at the county level, depending on the state's approach to indigent defense. Pennsylvania's system determines how public defender offices are funded, staffed, and assigned, which can affect caseloads and services available at each location.

Public Defenders locations are available in 38 cities across Pennsylvania. They are spread across 38 counties.

Cities with the highest concentration of public defender offices include Pittsburgh, Bellefonte, Butler, where larger court systems generate higher volumes of criminal cases requiring public defense services.

Defendants in Pennsylvania who believe they qualify for a public defender should not attempt to represent themselves in criminal proceedings. Requesting appointed counsel at your first court appearance is your constitutional right, and the process for establishing eligibility is handled by the court.

Public Defenders by Counties

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Individuals in Pennsylvania who are assigned a public defender should make every scheduled court date, stay in contact with their assigned attorney, and promptly provide any information or documentation their attorney requests. If you cannot reach your public defender, contact the main office directly to ensure your case is properly managed before any upcoming hearings.

Browse Public Defenders by county across Pennsylvania to find the nearest location.

Finding the Closest Public Defender Office in Pennsylvania

Because each county runs its own office, your first call depends on where the case was filed. In central Pennsylvania, the Centre County office is inside the courthouse at 104 Centre County Courthouse in Bellefonte (814-355-6798). Union County's office is at 103 South 2nd Street in Lewisburg, and Snyder County's is at 13 North Main Street in Middleburg. The Harrisburg office is at 228 Walnut Street.

In the south, Adams County's office is at 23 Baltimore Street in Gettysburg. In the west, Butler County's is at 291 South Main Street in Butler, Mercer County's is at 120 South Diamond Street in Mercer, and Lawrence County's is at 430 Court Street in New Castle. Meadville, Indiana and Johnstown also have listings. Phone numbers come from our records, so confirm hours and intake rules before you travel. County buildings usually have security screening, so allow extra time. If you cannot reach the office, the clerk of courts can tell you which lawyer is assigned.

No. Pennsylvania does not operate one statewide agency that employs defenders. Each county must provide counsel to people who cannot afford a lawyer, under the County Public Defender Act of 1968 and the state Rules of Criminal Procedure. County commissioners generally appoint the chief public defender and set the budget. Philadelphia relies on the nonprofit Defender Association of Philadelphia, and Allegheny County runs its own office in Pittsburgh. Because the system is local, staffing, intake forms and office hours differ. The practical rule is simple: contact the office in the county where the charge was filed, using the phone numbers on this page or your court paperwork.

Start by telling the magisterial district judge at your preliminary arraignment that you cannot afford a lawyer. Many counties then hand you a financial application or direct you to the public defender's office. If you are not in custody, call the county office as soon as you receive a summons or charging document. Bring photo ID, proof of income, a list of expenses and every court notice you have. Staff review your finances, and in some counties a judge makes the final decision. Apply early, because the preliminary hearing can be scheduled within days or weeks of an arrest.

There is no single statewide number. Eligibility is left to each county, so one office may use the federal poverty guidelines while another weighs income against living expenses, debts and the likely cost of a private attorney for your charge. Someone earning more than a typical cutoff may still qualify when the charges are serious and private counsel would be out of reach. If you are denied, ask the office why, and ask whether you can reapply or have the judge review your finances. Having a job does not automatically disqualify you.

It depends on the county. Practices on application fees differ, and a court may consider repayment of costs if a defendant later turns out to have the means. Ask at intake whether a fee applies and how any costs are decided, and keep copies of everything you sign. Fines, restitution and court costs after a conviction are separate from the lawyer's services. Do not delay applying because of cost worries. A defendant without a lawyer risks missing deadlines and accepting a plea without understanding the consequences.

One office cannot represent two people with opposing interests in the same case. If you and a co-defendant are charged together, or the office once represented a witness against you, the court appoints a different lawyer. That is often a private attorney who takes conflict cases for the county, and the county generally pays. Tell the office early about co-defendants and anyone else involved, so the conflict is caught before the first hearing. Avoid discussing the case with co-defendants while the assignment is being sorted out.

Often, yes. Juveniles accused of delinquency have a right to counsel, and county offices commonly handle those cases. After a conviction, the trial lawyer or the office typically continues on a direct appeal, though practice varies by county. Under Rule 904, a person who cannot afford a lawyer is entitled to appointed counsel on a first petition under the Post Conviction Relief Act. That petition generally must be filed within one year of the judgment becoming final, so act quickly. Public defenders do not take civil matters such as custody or evictions. Ask the Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network about those.

No. The Franklin Public Defender, at 1168 Liberty Street in the city of Franklin (814-432-9593), is in Venango County in the northwest. The Franklin County Public Defender, at 157 Lincoln Way East in Chambersburg (717-261-3863), is in south-central Pennsylvania. The courts, judges and prosecutors are different. Check the county printed on your charging document or court notice, and call the matching office. Getting this right on the first call saves time, especially when a preliminary hearing or other deadline is close.