Boroughs vs. Townships in Chester County, PA Explained

Pennsylvania's local government structure surprises people who've lived in states organized around counties or generic "unincorporated areas." Here's how it actually breaks down across our service area.

Every inch of Chester County has a real municipal government

Unlike states where large stretches of land are unincorporated and governed only by the county, Pennsylvania divides its entire land area into municipalities — cities, boroughs and townships — each with its own elected government. There is no such thing as a Chester County address with no municipal government at all, except for the rare census-designated place that sits inside a township without its own separate incorporation.

Boroughs

A borough is a small, usually historically dense, incorporated municipality with its own Borough Council and mayor or council president. West Chester itself is a Borough — not a city — with its own police department, its own street permitting, and its own local ordinances separate from Chester County government. Downingtown, in our service area, is also its own Borough.

Townships

A township in Pennsylvania is a full municipal government in its own right, run by an elected Board of Supervisors, not merely an "unincorporated area" governed directly by the county. West Goshen, East Goshen, Westtown, Willistown, West Bradford, East Bradford, Thornbury and Birmingham are all townships with their own supervisors, their own road departments and their own local permitting.

The rare exception: unincorporated villages

A small number of places, like Exton, are unincorporated villages or census-designated places — they have a well-known name and identity but no separate borough or township government of their own. Exton sits entirely inside West Whiteland Township, which is the actual governing municipality for that address.

Chester County government's real role

Chester County government handles countywide functions — courts, the county-level Health Department, county roads outside municipal boundaries, and regional planning — but does not replace or override the borough or township government where you actually live. For most permitting and local-ordinance questions, the borough or township is the first call, not the county.

Why we get this right on every delivery

Getting borough and township confused — or assuming a name like "Exton" has its own town hall when it doesn't — leads to calling the wrong office. We confirm the correct municipality for every address before we talk permits, not after.