[1] "Local governments without home rule can only act where specifically authorized by state law; home rule municipalities can act anywhere except where they are specifically limited by state law".
When Pennsylvania was chartered in 1681, its proprietor William Penn was given the power to create counties, towns, and other municipalities, and the legislature was given sovereignty over them.
[3] Early in the 20th century, the concept of municipal home rule spread across the United States, and in 1922 the Pennsylvania Constitution was amended to give the legislature the right to grant cities the right to choose home rule.
The new Home Rule Charter and Optional Plans Law, creating that right in the statutes of the Commonwealth, was passed in 1972.
[3] Home rule charters are published in the Pennsylvania Code in titles numbered in the 300s, by county.