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In Franklin County, money disputes up to $12,000 go to the small-claims court: simplified procedures built for people without a lawyer.
Read on for the claim ceiling, the fees, the courthouse serving Franklin County, the way the other side is notified, the cut-off dates, and each filing step. Squabble prepares the paperwork and files it on your behalf.
Franklin County hears small claims at the courthouse listed here, with the venue confirmed at filing from the defendant's address or the location of the dispute.
Tap a courthouse to see its details in the list below.
Not sure which courthouse? Use the court's official court locator to match your ZIP code to the correct location, or let Squabble identify it for you automatically. Hub courthouses can change; confirm before you file.
About 159,285 people live in Franklin County. Magistrate District Court 39-3-03, in Pleasant Hall, is the courthouse listed for Franklin County.
This court works from paper filings, delivered in person or posted in. Squabble builds the packet so nothing is missing.
Small claims are heard at the courthouse, in person.
Two sets of evidence are needed, one for the judge and one for the other side, and some courts also take it electronically in advance.
Franklin County, Pennsylvania, is home to about 159,285 residents, and small claims cases here are handled through the Pennsylvania Magisterial District Court system. Magistrate District Court 39-3-03 sits in Pleasant Hall at 9724 Cumberland Highway, 17246, and can be reached at (717) 532-7672. The claim limit in this court is $12,000. The county covers communities including Chambersburg, Greencastle, Mercersburg, Fayetteville, Waynesboro-area towns such as Rouzerville and Quincy, along with Saint Thomas, Orrstown, Fort Loudon and Mont Alto, and its ZIP codes include 17201, 17202, 17222, 17225 and 17237. Franklin County lies near Fulton County, Huntingdon County and Cumberland County. Electronic filing is not available for these cases, so filings are made with the court directly. Additional information about magisterial district court locations is published at https://www.franklincountypa.gov/index.php?section=magisterial-district-judges_magisterial_district_court_locations. The court accepts and processes small claims complaints, schedules hearings before the magisterial district judge, and issues judgments in the matters brought before it.
These 31 places sit inside Franklin County:
Amberson, Blue Ridge Summit, Chambersburg, Concord, Doylesburg, Dry Run, Fannettsburg, Fayetteville, Fort Loudon, Greencastle, Lemasters, Lurgan, Marion, Mercersburg, Mont Alto, Orrstown, Pleasant Hall, Quincy, Rouzerville, Roxbury, Saint Thomas, Scotland, Shady Grove, South Mountain, Spring Run, State Line, Upperstrasburg, Waynesboro, Williamson, Willow Hill, Zullinger.
Franklin County is the 23rd most populous of Pennsylvania's 67 counties, with about 159,285 residents. Magistrate District Court 39-3-03, in Pleasant Hall, is about 13 miles from the Cumberland County courthouse in Carlisle.
Neighbouring counties and the courts that serve them:
Small claims is the court's track for everyday money disputes: simplified rules, and limits on how much you can sue for.
Maximum claim
Two venues are usually open: where events took place, or where the other side is based.
One dispute cannot be broken into several cases to slip under the cap.
Judgments take the form of money owed; other kinds of relief are heard elsewhere.
Pennsylvania permits lawyers at the hearing without requiring them. Everything is built around people presenting their own case.
Under-18s are represented by a guardian the court appoints.
Over the limit? Either bring the figure down to the maximum and remain in small claims, or file the whole amount in the regular civil court. The amount given up is usually gone for good.
These are the limits for Franklin County, population about 159,285. They are the same across all 32 Franklin County ZIP codes, from 17201 onward.
Debts up to $12,000 belong in this court. These are the arguments people bring most frequently.
Franklin County has about 159,285 residents. Franklin County takes in Amberson, Blue Ridge Summit and Chambersburg and the rest of the county.
It's built to be navigable without a lawyer. Here's the shape of a case from start to finish.
Complete the claim form, choose the right court, and pay the filing fee.
The defendant receives the papers through formal service and can reply or negotiate an end to it.
The hearing itself is short and informal. Some courts allow video. The ruling comes then or later in writing.
This is the route a Franklin County case takes, whether it starts in 17201 or anywhere else among the county ZIP codes. Everything below applies to a case filed in Franklin County, at the Pleasant Hall courthouse.
The defendant must be given formal notice after filing. This is service of process, and as a rule you are not permitted to serve the papers yourself. Pennsylvania courts usually take delivery by delivery arranged by the court, email service where the court allows it, certified mail, the sheriff or constable or personal delivery by an approved server.
Who may serve depends on the court: law enforcement, a paid process server, the clerk by certified mail, or a disinterested adult. Costs and rules are local.
Courts set their own cut-off for how many days before the hearing notice must land. The clerk gives you that date along with the hearing date. Service must be at least 10 days before hearing. With exception of Philadelphia, all counties do certified mail.
After delivery, the server fills out a proof of service, and that goes on the court file before the hearing.
Service is where many self-filed cases stall. Squabble can coordinate professional Service of Process so it's done correctly and on time.
Fulton County and Huntingdon County are the counties nearest to Franklin County. Addresses in Franklin County include places such as Amberson, Blue Ridge Summit and Chambersburg.
The law fixes how long you have, counted from the dispute itself. A case brought later can be refused outright.
| Kind of claim | Deadline to file |
|---|---|
| Written contract | 4 years |
| Oral contract | 4 years |
| Property damage | 2 years |
| Personal injury | 2 years |
The same periods apply in Franklin County as in nearby Fulton County and Huntingdon County, which are in the same state. They do not change from one Franklin County ZIP code to another, 17201 included.
Money owed under a contract in Pennsylvania generally accrues interest at 6% per year before judgment (41 P.S. §202).
The Squabble interest calculator shows what the accrued figure comes to on top of the principal.
The rate above is the one for Franklin County, population about 159,285. Franklin County is under the same state rate as nearby Fulton County and Huntingdon County.
Verify the figure is inside the limit and that you are still within the deadline for this claim type.
Get the defendant's legal name right, set out the events, and break down how the figure is reached.
File with the Franklin County small-claims court on paper, by mail or at the counter, and pay the $30–$100 fee (or request a waiver if you qualify).
Service comes after the date is set. File the server's proof once the papers have been delivered.
Sort the documents and exhibits in advance so they can be handed up in order.
Turn up on the day, in person or remotely where offered, present what happened, and take the decision.
Go through the events with Eleanor. The documents are prepared, Triple-Checked™ for administrative and jurisdictional accuracy, and filed for you.
Start for FREE →A claim form opens the case, a proof of service records that notice was given, and a fee waiver applies where you qualify. Titles differ between courts, and Squabble uses the ones your courthouse expects.
Amberson, Blue Ridge Summit and Chambersburg are among the places in Franklin County that filings come from. Franklin County papers go to Magistrate District Court 39-3-03 in Pleasant Hall.
Hearings are short and plainly run. Questions come from the judge, and most parties appear without help.
Franklin County has about 159,285 residents. Magistrate District Court 39-3-03 sits at the 17246 address shown above.
A judgment is the court's decision. Collecting it is a separate step, with court-backed tools if the other side doesn't pay. Which tools are available depends on state law.
Part of the debtor's earnings may be redirected toward the judgment where state law provides for it.
Funds can be collected directly from the debtor's bank account through a court-ordered levy.
Recording the judgment with the county can place a lien on the debtor's real property.
You may also apply for an order compelling the debtor to attend and disclose income and assets on oath. Interest generally continues at the rate the state sets until the debt is met.
Fulton County and Huntingdon County are the counties nearest to Franklin County. The judgment in a Franklin County case comes from Magistrate District Court 39-3-03 in Pleasant Hall.
Reviewed August 2026. Fees, limits and procedures are revised from time to time, so confirm them with the court before you file.
Talk with Eleanor about what happened. Squabble prepares your demand letter and court-ready documents, Triple-Checks them for administrative and jurisdictional accuracy, and files your Franklin County case for you.
