Home Rule Municipality (Pennsylvania)

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A Home Rule Municipality in Pennsylvania, for the purpose of this article, is one incorporated under Pennsylvania's Home Rule and Optional Plans Law^[1]. Philadelphia was granted specific powers of "home rule" under a separate legislative act. All land in Pennsylvania is within one or another municipality. Municipalities include one "City of the First Class" (Philadelphia), one "City of the Second Class" (Pittsburgh), several "Cities of the Third Class", one "Town" (Bloomsburg), and many "Boroughs", "First Class Townships" and "Second Class Townships". The newest category of municipality in Pennsylvania is the "Home Rule Municipality".

The state government defined these categories through legislation, giving them different powers and requirements for incorporation. For instance, Boroughs are governed under the "Borough Code". A Home Rule Municipality is created through a referendum which adopts a unique charter pursuant to the Home Rule and Optional Plans Law. Although many such municipalities have retained the word "Township" or "Borough" in their official names, the Pennsylvania Township and Borough Codes no longer apply to them.

Home rule charters are published in the Pennsylvania Code in sections numbered in the 300s, by county. Note that Norristown's published charter in the Montgomery County section of the Pennsylvania code is an obsolete version, as the revised version was never published in the code. Below is a link to the Pennsylvania Code, and a link to a more detailed discussion of the subject.