Magisterial District Judges – Montgomery County

Montgomery County has 30 different Magisterial Districts, and each one has its own judge. These are “local” judges, different from county judges who all sit in the Common Pleas Court in Norristown. Each district has a set geographical boundary. In criminal cases (misdemeanors & felonies), Magisterial District Judges (“MDJs”) issue arrest warrants, set bail, and act as a “gatekeeper” for the system by conducting preliminary hearings where they make rulings on probable cause for the charges. MDJs have authority to conduct trials for traffic tickets and other petty “summary” offenses that don’t rise to the level of a “crime.”

To learn more about the roles of a Magisterial District Judge in a criminal case, visit our page on Stages of the Criminal Court Process.

Magisterial District Judges also handle some non-criminal matters. They preside over landlord-tenant disputes and evictions, and can decide civil cases where less than $12,000 is at issue.

Aside from sitting in court, another duty of Magisterial District Judges is to evaluate search warrants that the police bring. They approve them if there’s probable cause, and reject them if there isn’t. This process is conducted in private.

Click here for an interactive map of all of the Magisterial Districts in Montgomery County, as well as the names of the judges, and location and contact information for their courthouses.

Click here for a list of all Magisterial District Judges in Montgomery County with their contact information.

Other Courts:

Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas

Bucks County Court of Common Pleas

Bucks County Magisterial District Judges