Feb 5, 2026 By Paul Paterra 2 min read

The Charleroi office of District Judge Eric G. Porter was condemned Wednesday, forcing the magistrate and his staff to find a new location.

Borough Manager Joe Manning said a water leak in the building at 416 Fallowfield Ave. made the space uninhabitable.

“The pipes may have frozen overnight,” Manning said. Extensive damage included collapsed ceilings and water on the floor and in the basement of the structure, prompted the borough code enforcement officer to condemn the building.

West Penn Power was contacted, and electric service was shut off. A notice was placed on the door that the building had been condemned.

Borough officials have been in contact with Porter and reached out to the Washington County court administrator’s office to consider next steps. Washington County President Judge Valerie Costanzo will decide if operations are suspended and whether to reassign cases assigned to Porter.

District Court Administrator Daniel Buzard said Wednesday that his office will visit Charleroi to assess the situation before making any determination.

“It certainly looks like poor prospects for arraigning there, but it’s too early to say that,” Buzard said.

Manning said a possible temporary location for Porter could be the borough building at 338 Fallowfield Ave.

Porter, who was recently elected to his second six-year term, handles cases in Allenport, Charleroi, Dunlevy, Elco, Fallowfield, North Charleroi, Roscoe, Speers, Stockdale and Twilight.