Unlike most other states, Pennsylvania's counties geographically overlap municipalities such as boroughs, townships and cities, but they provide a different set of services. Therefore, every Pennsylvanian is both a resident of their county and their city, borough or township at the same time. Most counties are governed by a board of three County Commissioners elected every four years by the voters who live there. The Board of Commissioners oversees the entire operation of the County and represents the best interests of the citizens. Under the direction of these officers, the county maintains important legal records such as real estate deeds, marriage licenses, adoption papers and court records.
Different counties have different elected officials, depending on their class.
They may have an elected county executive and an elected county council. These counties are Allegheny, Delaware, Erie, Lackawanna, Lehigh and Northampton. They also have other elected county officials to help perform important duties. Counties are required by law to provide certain services to their citizens. Each county has one or more judges who are elected to sit on the bench and hear criminal and civil court cases.