Exhibit 31.1
                              COMMUNITY BANKS, INC.
                     RULE 13a-14(a)/15d-14(a) CERTIFICATION
                            (Chief Executive Officer)

I, Eddie L. Dunklebarger, certify that:

1. I have reviewed this annual report on Form 10-K of Community Banks, Inc.;

2. Based on my knowledge, this report does not contain any untrue statement of a
material fact or omit to state a material fact  necessary to make the statements
made, in light of the  circumstances  under which such statements were made, not
misleading with respect to the period covered by this report;

3.  Based  on my  knowledge,  the  financial  statements,  and  other  financial
information included in this report, fairly present in all material respects the
financial  condition,  results of operations and cash flows of the registrant as
of, and for, the periods presented in this report;

4. The  registrant's  other  certifying  officer(s)  and I are  responsible  for
establishing and maintaining  disclosure  controls and procedures (as defined in
Exchange Act Rules 13a-15(e) and 15d-15(e)) for the registrant and have:

     a)  designed  such  disclosure  controls  and  procedures,  or caused  such
     disclosure controls and procedures to be designed under our supervision, to
     ensure that material information relating to the registrant,  including its
     consolidated  subsidiaries,  is made  known to us by  others  within  those
     entities,  particularly  during the  period in which  this  report is being
     prepared;

     b) [omitted pursuant to the guidance of Release No. 8238, Section III (E)];
     and

     c) evaluated the effectiveness of the registrant's  disclosure controls and
     procedures  and  presented  in  this  report  our  conclusions   about  the
     effectiveness of the disclosure  controls and procedures,  as of the end of
     the period covered by this report based on such evaluation; and

     d) disclosed in this report any change in the registrant's internal control
     over financial  reporting that occurred during the registrant's most recent
     fiscal  quarter (the  registrant's  fourth fiscal quarter in the case of an
     annual report) that has  materially  affected,  or is reasonably  likely to
     materially  affect,  the  registrant's   internal  control  over  financial
     reporting; and

5. The registrant's other certifying  officer(s) and I have disclosed,  based on
our most  recent  evaluation  of  internal  accounting  control  over  financial
reporting,  to the registrant's auditors and the audit committee of registrant's
board of directors (or persons performing the equivalent functions):

     a) all significant  deficiencies  and material  weaknesses in the design or
     operation of internal control over financial reporting which are reasonably
     likely to adversely  affect the  registrant's  ability to record,  process,
     summarize and report financial information; and

     b) any fraud,  whether or not material,  that involves  management or other
     employees who have a significant role in the registrant's  internal control
     over financial reporting.

Date   March 12, 2004                          /s/ Eddie L. Dunklebarger
       --------------                          -------------------------
                                                Eddie L. Dunklebarger

                                                Chairman and President
                                               (Chief Executive Officer)