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Pennsylvania Statutes Title 73 Pa.C.S.A. Townships § 1501. Creation and alteration of wards

Current as of January 01, 2026 | Updated by Findlaw Staff

(a) Power of boards of commissioners.--In addition to reapportionment initiated in accordance with 53 Pa.C.S. Ch. 9 (relating to municipal reapportionment) and section 11 of Article IX of the Constitution of Pennsylvania, a board of commissioners may, by ordinance, do any of the following:

(1) Divide townships into wards.

(2) Create new wards out of two or more adjoining wards or parts of wards.

(3) Consolidate two or more wards into one ward.

(4) Divide any ward already erected into two or more wards.

(5) Alter the lines of two or more adjoining wards.

(6) Cause the lines or boundaries of wards to be ascertained or established.

(7) Abolish all wards.

(b) Limitations.--

(1) No township may be divided or redivided into more than 15 wards.

(2) No ward shall be created containing less than 300 registered electors.

(c) Less than five wards in township.--If a ward is abolished under this section and the number of wards in the township is reduced to less than five, then the commissioner or commissioners in the abolished ward or wards shall continue in office for the term for which elected and shall become a commissioner or commissioners at large from the township.

(d) Compact and contiguous territory.--All wards in the township shall be numbered and composed of compact and contiguous territory as nearly equal in population as practicable as officially and finally reported in the most recent Federal decennial census.

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Cite this article: FindLaw.com - Pennsylvania Statutes Title 73 Pa.C.S.A. Townships § 1501. Creation and alteration of wards - last updated January 01, 2026 | https://codes.findlaw.com/pa/title-73-pacsa-townships/pa-csa-sect-73-1501/

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