Civil Division

NOTICE

Currently, we are accepting new cases in person. Appointments are preferred.

  • For questions about submitting a new case call 215-686-7988
  • For questions about relisting a case or submitting a petition call 215-686-7980
  • For questions about submitting a writ of possession, alias writ, or writ of execution call 215-686-7989

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:


Civil Case Types

Learn more about the types of cases we process in the Civil Division

Small Claims Cases

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.

Landlord-Tenant Cases


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.


Code Enforcement Cases


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.



Private Criminal Cases


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.





Digital Assistants

Learn more about the digital assistants that help guide you through a process.

Tenant Landlord Digital Assistant (T/LDA)

T/LDA (pronounced "Tilda") is a digital guide dog to walk you through a Landlord-Tenant case for non-payment of rent in the Philadelphia Municipal Court, one step at a time.

Consumer Debt Collection Information Bot (CODI)


Codi will help you understand your debt collection case in Philadelphia Municipal Court. Codi will ask questions about your situation so it can give you accurate information.





Legal Language 101

Learn common court words and legal terms with this short video


Forms

Small Claims

Landlord-Tenant

Resources

Small Claims

Landlord-Tenant

Other