Allegheny County

Allegheny County is one of Pennsylvania's 67 counties. In Pennsylvania, counties geographically overlap municipalities, but provide a different set of government services.

Allegheny County contains the City of Pittsburgh along with 129 other municipalities. Allegheny County has over 1,200,000 residents, making it second only to Philadelphia County in population.

The Pennsylvania Constitution defines a county government structure for the state that is headed by three County Commissioners, with ten additional, elected "row officers." But, the Constitution also allows counties to frame their own government structure using a "Home Rule Charter." Allegheny County is one of only 8 PA counties with a government defined by a Home Rule Charter.

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On this page:

Allegheny County Government Services. - what does county government do?
Allegheny County Government Structure - County Executive, Council, Row Officers, Boards and Commissions
Resources for Residents - voting and civic engagement information

More Local Government Pages:

Allegheny County Government Services

What Does County Government Do?

Here are some of the services provided by Allegheny County:

Supporting courts and corrections including funding for the lower judiciary, support services, specialty courts, the county jail, probation and related functions
Delivering human services to protect the most vulnerable residents (children and youth, drugs and alcohol, mental health and intellectual disability, seniors, housing, and other critical supports)
Providing public health programs as one of only a few counties in the state with its own department; this includes public health, infectious disease, community health, environmental programs, plumbing, food safety, and various other efforts
Delivering emergency services by coordinating response within the county for fire, police and ambulance through its 9-1-1 center while also serving as the key point of contact for FEMA and PEMA needs; the department also has responsibility for emergency management, the fire academy, the fire marshal, HAZMAT and more
Maintaining county-owned roads, bridges and infrastructure and assisting municipalities with related needs where appropriate
Administering voter services and elections
Investing in open space preservation and the development of parks and trails within our county parks, but also as an active participant with municipalities in their efforts to connect communities
Managing the property assessment system and real estate office to maintain a true and correct copy of county properties and ownership
Developing and implementing the county’s comprehensive plan to set forth a guide for planning and land use

The county’s annual budget totals $3 billion. Over 6,000 employees to manage and deliver these services and many more. A number of the operations are 24/7.

Visit the Allegheny County Website

alleghenycounty.us

Allegheny County in Action

See some examples of work done by the county government.

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Election Administration

Counties are responsible for the "nuts and bolts" of running elections. In Allegheny County this means:

Arranging polling places for all 1,300+ Allegheny County precincts.
Hiring, training, and paying 6,000+ poll workers to staff precincts on Election Day.
Designing and printing ballots for each election, showing the proper candidates for each ward and precinct.
Managing the mail-in process for Allegheny County.
Purchasing and maintaining voting machines and scanning equipment.
Securing and counting ballots after voting ends.

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Public Health and Human Services

Allegheny County provides and manages many Public Health and Human Service programs, including:

multiple County Assistance Offices administering SNAP, WIC, Medicaid and other assistance programs.
pediatric dentistry clinic
TB testing and treatment
immunization clinic for childhood, adult and travel vaccinations
services for individuals with autism and intellectual disability
suicide prevention and other hotlines
transportation services for older adults and people with certain disabilities
homeless drop-in and service centers
addiction recovery services

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Land Use and Planning

The County oversees land use decisions and promotes sustainable development through the Economic Development and Sustainability Departments providing:

advisory review and waivers for subdivision and land use plans
countywide stormwater management program
property revitalization projects, like the Carrie Furnace redevelopment
affordable housing initiatives

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Roads, Bridges and Infrastructure

Most of the roads and bridges in Allegheny County are owned and maintained by the state or by local municipalities, but Allegheny County owns and maintains:

over 400 miles of roadway
over 500 bridges, including a few big bridges like the Homestead Grays, Andy Warhol, and Roberto Clemente bridges.

This maintenance includes paving, snow removal, and landslide prevention and remediation.

You can see which roads and bridges are maintained by the county at alleghenycounty.us/whoownsmyinfrastructure.

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Law Enforcement and Corrections

The Allegheny County Police (ACPD)

investigates all criminal activity on or in county-owned property.
aids local departments and criminal justice agencies within the county with the investigation of major crimes,

(Allegheny County's 130 municipalities have over 100 separate, local police departments.)

patrols and provides security at large county facilities

The Allegheny County Jail

has a capacity of 3,156 inmates and four alternative housing facilities.
has a daily population of about 1,500 with over 25,000 intakes annually.

The Medical Examiner supports the criminal justice system with

morgue services (forensic investigation, autopsy and histology)
forensic laboratory services (evidence receiving, forensic biology, drug chemistry, toxicology, environmental chemistry, firearms/toolmarks, trace, latent prints)
mobile crime unit and mobile laboratory

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County Parks

Allegheny County maintains 9 county parks: North Park, South Park, Settlers Cabin, Deer Lakes, Round Hill, Boyce, White Oak, Hartwood Acres and Harrison Hills. These parks are open 365 days a year, free of charge. Allegheny County parks provide access to:

over 12,000 acres of green space
golf courses
hiking trails,
a zipline, BMX track, and ski slopes
swimming pools and wave pools
a botanic garden
an estate
an exhibit farm

For a comprehensive list of Allegheny County departments and services, see the county website: alleghenycounty.us

Allegheny County Government Structure

The Allegheny County
Home Rule Charter

Allegheny County voters approved the adoption of a Home Rule Charter in 1998, and the charter took effect in January of 2000. The charter replaced the county commissioner system defined in the PA Constitution. Allegheny County now has an Executive Branch headed by a County Executive and a Legislative Branch with a 15-member County Council. Several other elected offices listed in the PA Constitution were consolidated to create 4 "row offices" instead of 10. The Home Rule Charter gave citizens the ability to initiate county-wide referendums and ballot questions.

You can read the Allegheny County Home Rule Charter here: Allegheny Co. Home Rule Charter

Elected County Officials

Allegheny County Executive

The County Executive is the highest elected official in the county and heads the executive branch of Allegheny County government. The county executive is responsible for representing the county in meetings and negotiations, controlling and being accountable for departments, enforcing ordinances and law, making appointments, submitting a comprehensive fiscal plan, making appointments, negotiating and signing contracts, appointing a county manager and solicitor, submitting legislation, declaring states of emergency, calling special meetings, and giving quarterly addresses and an annual state of the county report to council.

The county executive is elected to a 4-year term, with a term limit of 3 consecutive terms.

County Council

Allegheny County Council is made up of 15 members, and functions as the legislative branch of Allegheny County government. 13 county council members are elected by district, and 2 are elected "at large" (county-wide.). The two, at large members must be from different political parties. In the municipal election, any political party may nominate a candidate for an at large seat. Voters may vote for one, and the top two vote-getters are elected.

County Council is a part-time position. Regular meetings are held twice a month in the evenings. Members do not receive a salary, or funding for an office or staff. Instead they receive a stipend of about $11,000. Members typically hold a different full-time job.

The County Council is led by a President and Vice President selected by the body. All members serve on several standing committees. The President can also form special committees on specific issues or interests.

What County District do You Live in? See the map here: County Council District Map

Allegheny County "Row Offices"

(officially, "independently elected officials")

What Do the Row Officers Do?

Controller: The Controller maintains proper accounting records and processes, pays county bills, manages payroll and retirement benefits, performs internal audits for departments, and prepares the Annual Comprehensive Financial Report.

District Attorney: The District Attorney is the Chief Law Enforcement Office, accepting and prosecuting criminal charges from more than 100 active police departments, as well as approving complaints filed by private citizens.

Sheriff: The Sheriff is responsible for Courtroom security and maintaining custody of incarcerated defendants who are required to appear before the Courts in such matters as arraignments, motions, pleas, trials, sentences and appeals.

Treasurer: The Treasurer receives, invests, disburses and safeguards the monies of the county; the office collects real estate tax, the alcoholic beverage tax, the hotel room rental tax, and the vehicle rental tax, and administers the Senior Tax Relief Program.

Appointed County Officials

Appointed Officials
Listed in the Home Rule Charter

The County Executive appoints officials to many positions in the executive branch.

County Manager: The County Manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the county’s departments. The county has a total budget of $3 billion and more than 6,000 employees.

County Solicitor: The County Solicitor handles the civil legal matters of county government and represents all county departments in the executive branch. This includes thousands of cases each year at every level of government, and before administrative agencies. The department also negotiates, monitors, and administers 24 collective bargaining agreements covering over 5,000 employees and provides contracted legal services to the Housing Authority.

Public Boards and Commissions

(it's complicated)

Public Boards, Commissions and Authorities manage a lot of crucial infrastructure and services in Allegheny County. Board members are appointed by elected officials. The make-up of these boards varies, and many have seats reserved for appointments by county, state and/or municipal officials. Board and Commission members serve without pay.

It is the job of the County Executive to appoint board or commission members to seats reserved for Allegheny County. The appointments must be approved by the County Council.

Here are a few examples:

Allegheny County Sanitary Authority (ALCOSAN) has 7 members.
- 3 are appointed by Allegheny County
- 3 are appointed by the City of Pittsburgh
- 1 is appointed jointly by Pittsburgh and Allegheny County.
Pittsburgh Regional Transit (PRT) - (formerly, PAT Transit) has 11 members.
- 6 are appointed by the County Executive,
- 4 are appointed by leaders of both parties in the state legislature
- 1 is appointed by the Governor of Pennsylvania
Allegheny County Airport Authority - manages the Pittsburgh International Airport and Allegheny County Airport. It has 9 members.
- 7 are appointed by Allegheny County
- 1 is appointed by Beaver County
- 1 is appointed by West Mifflin (home of the Allegheny County Regional Airport)

See a comprehensive list of Public Boards, Commissions and Authorities with the Board Explorer Tool at Public Source:

Board Explorer