Bensalem, PA
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Most looked-up rules in Bensalem
The topics readers look up most across the site, as they apply in Bensalem.
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🏡 Home & Property
🌿 Yard & Garden
🏠 Renting & Housing
🔊 Noise & Neighbors
🐾 Animals & Farming
🚗 Parking & Streets
💼 Business & Licensing
📋 Permits, Signs & Events
🌎 Environment & Utilities
🛡️ Privacy & Civic
📋 Other
🐔 Animal Ordinances
Wildlife Feeding
Significant RestrictionsIn Bensalem Township, feeding a stray or feral cat is unlawful unless you join the Township's humane feral cat program and register the colony every year. Township Council enforces…
Breed Restrictions
Few RestrictionsBensalem Township has no breed-specific dog ban. Chapter 80 instead defines a 'vicious dog' by conduct: any dog that has bitten three or more people, has viciously attacked a person…
Cat Rules
Significant RestrictionsBensalem Township has no individual cat-licensing requirement, but Chapter 80's cat article regulates feral colonies. Feeding a stray or feral cat is unlawful unless the caretaker…
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township makes it unlawful for an owner to let a cat run free outside the home unless the cat is spayed or neutered, vaccinated against rabies, and identified by a collar tag…
Chickens & Livestock
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township treats backyard poultry and livestock as an agricultural use confined to two zoning districts. Section 232-110(2) permits it in the R-A Rural district, and section…
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Significant RestrictionsA veterinary office is not an as-of-right use anywhere in Bensalem Township. In the R-AA district, section 232-212(a)(5)a of the Zoning Code allows a veterinarian's office with an…
Dog Leash Laws
Some RestrictionsBucks CountyBucks County's Park System Rules require every dog, cat and other pet to stay under the owner's control on a leash no longer than six feet anywhere in a county park, except inside the…
Beekeeping
Some RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania's Bee Law requires all beekeepers to register their colonies annually with the Department of Agriculture for inspection and disease control.
Exotic Pets
Heavy RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania requires Exotic Wildlife Possession Permits for keeping bears, big cats, wolves, and other dangerous exotic species under Game Commission rules.
Pet Limits
Some RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania sets no statewide cap on how many dogs or cats a household may keep. The line that matters is the Dog Law's kennel definition in § 102: any establishment in or through…
🚗 Parking Rules
Dibs & Space Saving
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township bans reserving or blocking a parking space or roadside parking area with cones, trashcans, chairs, plant pots or caution tape. Only narrow exceptions apply, such as…
Street Parking Limits
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township restricts parking, stopping and standing on specific streets listed in the Code's Appendix A, using four designations: no parking, limited parking, no standing and no…
Driveway Rules
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township Code § 201-112(i) requires every residential motor vehicle parking area and driveway to be paved, and every nonresidential parking area and access driveway to be…
Abandoned Vehicles
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township treats any vehicle with an expired license left outside a protective enclosure, and any licensed vehicle stuck in nonworkable condition on a public thoroughfare for…
RV & Boat Parking
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township bars owners, lessees, or possessors of a recreational vehicle from parking it on any public street or roadway for more than 24 consecutive hours. Chapter 144 defines…
Commercial & Oversized Vehicles
Significant RestrictionsBensalem Township makes it unlawful to park, store, or house a commercial vehicle over 10,000 pounds gross weight on residential property, and bars using a residential lot as a loading…
EV Charging
Few RestrictionsBensalem's zoning ordinance allows electric vehicle charging stations as a permitted accessory amenity at a convenience store with fuel dispensing facilities in the PCD-UD Planned…
Loading Zones
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township requires any commercial, industrial or institutional building, or an apartment house, to provide off-street loading and unloading space under section 232-587 of the…
Overnight Parking
Some RestrictionsBucks CountySection 6(A)(1) of the Bucks County Park System Rules and Regulations bars parking any vehicle inside a county park between sunset and sunrise, unless the Department posts different…
Towing & Impound Rights
Some RestrictionsPennsylvaniaA Pennsylvania private parking lot cannot tow you unless it is posted. Under 75 Pa.C.S. § 3353(b)(2) the trespass-parking rule does not reach a private parking lot at all unless the…
🌿 Landscaping Rules
Tree Removal & Heritage Trees
Some RestrictionsIn Bensalem Township you need a written permit from the Shade Tree Commission before removing, cutting or pruning any tree or shrub growing on a public highway or park. Acting without…
Tree Trimming
Some RestrictionsBensalem requires nine feet of clearance over public sidewalks and 11 feet over streets for overhanging tree limbs. If an owner ignores the Shade Tree Commission's written notice to…
Weed Ordinances
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township Code Section 62-1 caps grass, weeds, and other non-ornamental vegetation at one foot in height on any property in the Township and declares taller growth, noxious…
Water Restrictions
Some RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania Emergency Management Services Code authorizes the Governor to impose mandatory statewide drought water-use restrictions that override local rules during declared…
🔊 Noise Ordinances
Construction Hours
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township bars construction equipment, tractors, rollers and other fuel- or electric-powered mechanical equipment from operating between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. under Section…
Barking Dogs
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township treats a dog's barking, howling or other loud noise as a peace disturbance once it becomes continuous for more than an hour, or continuous for 30 minutes to an hour…
Decibel Limits
Some RestrictionsBensalem's Noise Ordinance sets maximum sound levels measured at every lot line, varying by the zoning district emitting the sound and by day versus night. Light Industrial and General…
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
Some RestrictionsBucks CountyUsing a loudspeaker, public address system or amplifier anywhere in the Bucks County Park System requires a Department permit. Playing a radio, stereo, television or other audio device…
Quiet Hours
Light RestrictionsBucks CountyBucks County sets a 10 p.m. quiet time at every campsite in its Park System under Section 9.7.D of Ordinance No. 170 as amended by Ordinance No. 174. The rule is specific to camping…
🔥 Fire Regulations
Fireworks
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township requires anyone holding a fireworks display permit to notify Bensalem Fire Rescue in writing at least ten days before the display and arrange emergency fire…
Smoke Detectors
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township will not issue a building or occupancy permit for any dwelling unit until required smoke detectors are installed and working, per Section 66-3 of the Building Code…
Outdoor Burning
Heavy RestrictionsBensalem Township Code Section 107-18 bans burning garbage, refuse, trash, debris, uprooted trees, bushes, leaves, clippings or construction debris anywhere in the Township, whether in…
Fire Pits & Backyard Fires
Light RestrictionsBensalem Township Code Section 107-18(1) permits listed and approved portable outdoor fireplaces within Bensalem Township as an exception to the general open-burning ban. Owners must…
Propane Storage
Some RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania regulates propane and LP-gas storage statewide under the Propane and Liquefied Petroleum Gas Act (Act 61 of 2002). The Department of Labor and Industry enforces National…
Wildfire Zones
Significant RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania's Forest Fire Protection Law makes it a crime to set fire to any woodlot, forest, or wild land anywhere in the Commonwealth. Accidental ignition is a misdemeanor…
🏊 Swimming Pools & Spas
Fencing & Safety Requirements
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township requires any pool, spa, or hot tub 18 inches deep or more at a one- or two-family home to sit at least ten feet from every property line and be enclosed under Section…
Pool Permits
Some RestrictionsBuilding a residential swimming pool in Bensalem Township requires an alteration-of-land permit under Section 232-763. The Township's fee schedule at Section 99-31 sets that permit at…
🧱 Fence Regulations
Retaining Walls
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township caps a retaining wall abutting a residential district at eight feet of exposed height or the distance to the nearest neighboring building, whichever is less, and…
Material Restrictions
Significant RestrictionsBensalem Township limits residential fences to stockade wood, ranch rail wood, open metal mesh or chain link, and other industry-accepted materials, and it flatly bans wire, barbed…
Fence Permit Requirements
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township requires a permit from the Department of Building and Planning before any fence or wall is built, though repairing or renovating an existing fence does not need one.
Height Limits
Some RestrictionsBensalem caps residential fences at six and one-half feet in most yards, but limits them to four feet along the front yard where the house faces the street and within the required…
Neighbor Fence Rules
Some RestrictionsPennsylvaniaUnder Pennsylvania's 1905 Line Fence Act (29 P.S. § 41), adjoining owners of improved and occupied land must build and maintain equal halves of any boundary or division fence, and…
💼 Home Business
Customer Traffic Restrictions
Significant RestrictionsBensalem Township requires a home occupation to stay clearly incidental to residential use and specifically bars it from generating traffic or litter, displaying signs, or being…
Zoning & Home Occupation Permits
Significant RestrictionsBensalem Township confines home occupations to residential districts including R-1 through R-33, A-D, and MHP, caps the business at 400 square feet or 25 percent of habitable space…
Signage Rules
Heavy RestrictionsBensalem Township bans all signage for home occupations outright. Section 232-594(c)(9) of the Township Code states no sign whatsoever may indicate a home business is being run from a…
Cottage Food Operations
Some RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania never enacted a cottage food law, so there is no sales ceiling to stay under and no exemption to claim. Instead 3 Pa.C.S. § 5734(a) makes it the duty of every person…
Home Daycare
Heavy RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania requires Department of Human Services certification for family child day care homes serving four to six unrelated children, with statewide background checks, training, and…
🚪 Soliciting & Door-to-Door
Solicitor Permits
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township requires anyone soliciting or peddling door to door or on the streets to obtain a license from the Building and Planning Department first. Applications run up to 30…
No-Knock Registry
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township bars solicitors and peddlers from entering any property posted with a No Soliciting sign, from staying once asked to leave, and from working outside 9:00 a.m. to 6:00…
🔧 Building Safety
Electrical Permits
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township has adopted the 1999 National Electrical Code as its Electrical Code, and no building can have electric current supplied until the Township's Department of Building…
Plumbing Permits
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township enforces the 2000 International Plumbing Code as the Bensalem Township Plumbing Code of 2001. Starting work before a permit issues triples the permit fee, and a Code…
Building Permits
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township Code Chapter 66 adopts the International Building Code, First Edition 2000, and the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code as the Township's building code, requiring…
Building Inspections
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township charges a fee for every plan examination, building permit and inspection under the adopted fee schedule administered by the Department of Building and Planning…
🚶 Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules
Encroachment Permits
Significant RestrictionsOpening or breaking the surface of any Bensalem Township street, sidewalk, curb, alley or public lane, including cutting a curb for a new driveway, is unlawful without a Township…
Obstruction Rules
Heavy RestrictionsBensalem Township Code § 197-33 bars signs, posts, steps, walls, fences, gasoline pumps, oil tanks and similar obstructions from sitting within any public street, sidewalk or…
Sidewalk Repair
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township Code § 197-51 puts the duty to maintain curbs, sidewalks, grass, trees and other features on the abutting property owner for the strip between the property line and…
🍔 Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors
Food Truck Permits
Significant RestrictionsBensalem Township requires every food truck, canteen truck and ice cream truck to hold a mobile food vendor permit from the Director of Building and Planning before operating. Permits…
Sidewalk & Mobile Vending
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township requires mobile food service vehicles operating near a sidewalk to leave at least six feet of clear pedestrian path and keep awnings and canopies at least six feet…
Vending Zones
Significant RestrictionsBensalem Township bars food trucks from the public right-of-way and from private property outside the GI General Industrial zone, with narrow exceptions for private parties and…
🌍 Environmental Rules
Stormwater Management
Significant RestrictionsBensalem Township regulates stormwater under Chapter 196, requiring a site plan and permit for most land development and earth disturbance. Projects creating over 1,000 square feet of…
Erosion Control
Significant RestrictionsBefore any grading, excavating or vegetation removal begins on a proposed Bensalem subdivision or land development, Bensalem Township Code § 201-106(a) requires an erosion and sediment…
Flood Zones
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township requires a permit from the Floodplain Administrator before any construction or development anywhere in the township, waived only for minor repairs, under Chapter 104…
Flood Elevation Requirements
Some RestrictionsNew construction or substantial improvement in Bensalem Township's AE, A1-30 and AH flood zones must have its lowest floor elevated to the regulatory flood elevation, defined as the…
🏪 Business Licensing & Operations
Towing Companies
Significant RestrictionsBensalem Township caps active licensed towers at ten per year and requires anyone offering towing services to the Township or Police Department to hold an annual license, with…
Secondhand Dealers
Significant RestrictionsBensalem Township requires every secondhand and antique dealer to hold a license from the Building and Planning Department and pay a $200 annual registration fee per location. Dealers…
Pawnbrokers
Significant RestrictionsBensalem pawnbrokers must first hold a Pennsylvania pawnbroker license under the 1937 state pawnbroker act before the Township Building and Planning Department will issue a local…
Tattoo & Body Modification
Heavy RestrictionsBensalem's Planned Commerce Park Unified Development (PCD-UD) District, the zoning classification covering large unified retail and office developments, expressly prohibits tattoo…
Massage Establishments
Significant RestrictionsBensalem's Chapter 142 bars any massage business, health center, or health salon from letting a masseur or masseuse treat a client of the opposite sex, with narrow exceptions for…
Tobacco Retail License
Significant RestrictionsBensalem Township confines tobacco shops and smoke shops, including vape and e-cigarette retailers, to general industrial districts and requires a special exception before one can…
Adult Entertainment
Significant RestrictionsBensalem Township confines adult establishments and sexually-oriented businesses to general industrial districts and bars them within 1,000 feet of churches, schools, residential…
🚜 Right to Farm
Agricultural Zoning Protection
Light RestrictionsBensalem Township's R-A Rural District zoning allows agricultural or farm use (except piggeries) on lots of at least one net acre, requiring livestock or poultry buildings to sit at…
Farm Nuisance Protection
Few RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania's Right to Farm Act (Act 133 of 1982, 3 P.S. §951 et seq.) protects established agricultural operations from local nuisance lawsuits and overly restrictive municipal…
📢 Noise from Specific Sources
Bar & Nightclub Noise
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township caps commercial noise, including bars and nightclubs, under Chapter 149 of the Township Code. Sound measured at the property's lot line cannot exceed 65 decibels day…
Delivery Truck Noise
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township bars anyone from idling a standing motor vehicle heavier than 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight for more than ten minutes between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. under…
🌙 Curfew Laws
Park Curfew
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township closes its parks and recreation areas from one hour after sundown until one hour before sunrise under Section 156-4(5) of the Township Code. Anyone entering or using…
Juvenile Curfew
Significant RestrictionsBensalem Township's curfew splits by age: minors age 15 to 17 cannot be out in public places or wandering the streets between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., pushed to midnight on Friday and…
🎪 Special Events & Permits
Park Event Permits
Significant RestrictionsBensalem Township requires written authorization from the Park and Recreation Board before any organized group can use a Township park or recreation area, under Section 156-4(3) of the…
Parade Permits
Significant RestrictionsBensalem Township Code Chapter 56 defines parades as a special event requiring a permit from the Department of Building and Planning, filed at least 30 days ahead. The property owner…
Sidewalk Dining & Cafés
Some RestrictionsBensalem's Street Road Mixed Use (SRM) District requires outdoor dining and sidewalk cafes to keep a clear pedestrian walkway and separate the dining area from traffic with…
🚷 Public Conduct
Loitering Rules
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township makes it unlawful to loaf, loiter or stand on sidewalks, roads or other public places in a way that blocks vehicular or pedestrian traffic, under Section 160-1(3) of…
Outdoor Smoking Restrictions
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township bans smoking on all township-owned property and public places under Code Chapter 38, covering every park, recreational facility, and indoor or outdoor township…
Public Alcohol Use
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township Code Chapter 54, Article III makes it a breach of the peace to drink or carry an open container of liquor, low-alcohol beverage, or malt beverage on any public…
Public Urination
Some RestrictionsBucks CountyBucks County's Park System Rules flatly ban relieving yourself anywhere in county parks except in a restroom or other facility built for that purpose. Section 9.27(D) applies parkwide…
Public Marijuana Use
Heavy RestrictionsBucks CountyBucks County's Park System Rules bar consuming or possessing marijuana or any other controlled substance anywhere within the Park System. Section 9.18(A)(1) points to Pennsylvania's…
Aggressive Panhandling
Significant RestrictionsBucks CountyBucks County bans peddling, business solicitation and charity fundraising anywhere in the county Park System unless the Director gives written permission first. The rule, Ordinance No…
Skateboarding Rules
Some RestrictionsBucks CountyBucks County confines skateboards, in-line skates and similar wheeled equipment to designated skate parks or paved roadways within the county Park System. Section 9.27(H) of the Park…
🏚️ Property Maintenance
Snow & Sidewalk Clearing
Some RestrictionsIn Bensalem Township, the owner, occupant, or tenant of any property along a road, street, or highway must clear ice and snow from the abutting paved sidewalk within 24 hours after it…
Property Blight
Significant RestrictionsBensalem Township's Vacant Property Review Board, created under Code Chapter 45, certifies vacant, tax-delinquent, or dangerously deteriorated structures as blighted before the…
Vacant Lot Maintenance
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township Code Section 62-2 puts the legal duty to cut grass and weeds on the owner of a vacant lot, not just occupied property, once growth exceeds the one-foot limit set by…
💡 Outdoor Lighting
Light Trespass & Shielding
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township Code § 201-112(o) caps spillover light from any parking area lighting at one-half foot-candle falling on a neighboring property or street, while requiring the parking…
Billboard Lighting
Some RestrictionsBensalem's zoning code bans off-premises billboard lighting between midnight and sunrise and requires every light fixture to be aimed only at the sign face under Code Section…
🛴 Mobility & Curb Rules
Red-Light Cameras
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township Code Chapter 60 authorizes automated red light cameras only at Street Road at Knights Road and at Lincoln Highway and Old Lincoln Highway, enforcing the Motor Vehicle…
Bike Lane Rules
Some RestrictionsBucks CountyBucks County limits bicycles, e-bikes and e-scooters in its Park System to trails and paved roads specifically marked for that use. Riders must yield to pedestrians on every path…
E-Bike Classes
Some RestrictionsBucks CountyBucks County defines an e-bike as a pedal-equipped, two- or three-wheel vehicle under 100 pounds with a motor of 750 watts or less and a 20 mph motor-only top speed. On non-motorized…
Shared E-Scooter Rules
Significant RestrictionsBucks CountyBucks County defines an e-scooter as a stand-on device under 100 pounds with handlebars and an electric motor, and § 7 limits e-scooter riding to designated trails and paved roads…
Golf Carts & Low-Speed Vehicles
Significant RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania draws a hard line between a golf cart and a neighborhood electric vehicle. Chapter 77A of the Vehicle Code makes it unlawful to operate a golf cart on any highway at all…
🗑️ Trash & Recycling
Holiday Pickup Schedule
Light RestrictionsWhen a scheduled collection day in Bensalem Township falls on a holiday, Sec. 107-5.5(d) requires the collector to notify every customer of the day collection will instead be made, on…
Bin Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township residents may put refuse containers at the curb or street line no earlier than 24 hours before pickup and must pull them back within 24 hours after collection under…
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township either contracts with an authorized collector that all non-farm properties must use, or lets residents hire their own licensed private collector, under Sec…
Collection Schedule
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township requires all household solid waste to be collected at least once each week under Sec. 107-5.5(c)(1), with bulky waste and dead animals arranged separately in advance…
Recycling Requirements
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township requires every single-family home, townhouse and row-home with individual collection to keep a separate recycling container and follow strict curbside timing. Under…
Dumpster Rules
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township Code Section 107-8.2(e) makes owners and landlords of multifamily buildings without individual trash pickup responsible for supplying recycling dumpsters at…
Recycling Rules
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township Code Section 107-8.3 spells out exactly what each type of property must separate for recycling. Homes and apartments recycle glass, newsprint, aluminum, steel and…
Bulk Item Disposal
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township collects household solid waste at least once a week, but bulky waste such as appliances and furniture is the exception: Bensalem Township Code Section 107-5.5(c)(1)…
Yard Waste Collection
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township Code Section 107-15 requires every municipal waste collector to run at least one yard and leaf waste collection during the spring and one during the fall each year…
Illegal Dumping
Heavy RestrictionsBensalem Township Code Section 107-17 bans filling, dumping or burying garbage, refuse, trash, debris, uprooted trees, wood, plaster, metals, bricks, concrete or dredging waste on any…
🔑 Rental Property Rules
Repairs & Habitability
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township's Housing Code sets minimum habitability standards for every rental dwelling: a working toilet, bath, and kitchen sink, hot water reaching 120 degrees Fahrenheit at…
Rental Registration
Significant RestrictionsBensalem Township requires every owner who rents out a dwelling or rooming unit to obtain an annual premises license and inspection from the Township before renting, separate from any…
Eviction Notice & Process
Some RestrictionsPennsylvaniaUnder 68 P.S. Section 250.501, a Pennsylvania landlord must serve a written notice to quit before eviction: 10 days for nonpayment of rent, and 15 days (term of one year or less) or 30…
Just Cause Eviction
Some RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania Landlord-Tenant Act establishes uniform eviction notice and procedure requirements applicable statewide, governing all residential tenancy terminations universally.
Security Deposit Rules
Some RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania's Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951 caps a residential security deposit at two months' rent during the first year and one month's rent in the second and later years…
Squatter's Rights & Adverse Possession
Some RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania's general adverse possession period is 21 years under 42 Pa.C.S. Section 5530. A shorter 10-year period applies under 42 Pa.C.S. Section 5527.1 to a parcel of one-half…
🪧 Sign Regulations
Freeway-Facing Signs
Significant RestrictionsBensalem Township allows off-premises billboards only within 100 feet of the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-276) or I-95, approved by Township Council as a conditional use under Code Section…
Window Signs
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township treats window signs as wall signage. Section 232-714(b)(2)d.2 caps wall, awning, and window signs on a commercial building at 10 percent of that building's facade…
Holiday Displays
Light RestrictionsBensalem Township allows festoon holiday lighting only during national and religious holidays. Section 232-715(d)(3) requires it come down within one week of the holiday, and Section…
Digital Billboards
Significant RestrictionsBensalem Township allows digital billboards only where they replace an existing off-premises sign within 100 feet of the Turnpike or I-95. Section 232-354(13) caps brightness at 0.3…
Political Signs
Some RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPlacing a political sign, banner, or any advertising matter within the legal limits of a Pennsylvania state highway is unlawful without PennDOT's written consent under Section 425 of…
🌱 Cannabis Regulations
Buffer Zones
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township's zoning ordinance keeps medical marijuana dispensaries at least 1,000 feet from any school, daycare, place of worship, park, library, or community center, and 2,000…
Dispensary Zoning
Significant RestrictionsBensalem Township allows a medical marijuana dispensary only as a conditional use in the G-C General Commercial District, approved by Township Council under Code Section 232-387(1)…
Home Cultivation
Heavy RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania prohibits home cultivation of cannabis by patients, caregivers, and recreational users. The Medical Marijuana Act limits production to state-permitted growers, and…
📐 Building Setbacks & Zoning
Lot Coverage Limits
Some RestrictionsIn Bensalem Township's R-1 Residential district, a lot may not have more than 30 percent of its area covered by buildings, and total impervious surface, including the building, cannot…
Setback Rules
Some RestrictionsBensalem Township's R-1 Residential district requires a 35-foot front yard, side yards totaling at least 30 feet with neither side less than 12 feet, and a 30-foot rear yard, under…
Structure Height Limits
Some RestrictionsBuildings in Bensalem's R-1 Residential district are capped at 35 feet under section 232-153(f) of the Zoning Code. A builder can go taller only by widening both side yards beyond the…
🗺️ Zoning Overlays & Bonuses
Downtown Design Guide
Light RestrictionsBensalem Township adopted a downtown-style design overlay called the Bensalem 2018 Regulating Code under section 232-346 of the Zoning Code. Property owners in the districts named in…
Density Bonus Law
Light RestrictionsBensalem Township's only density bonus for zoning is its transfer of development rights program. Section 232-765 lets an owner in a designated sending area sell development rights to a…
🚁 Drone Rules
Park Drone Restrictions
Significant RestrictionsBucks CountyFlying a drone, model aircraft or similar remote-controlled device from or above Bucks County park property requires a permit or must occur only in a designated area, and only in a…
Commercial Drones
Some RestrictionsPennsylvaniaCommercial drone operators in Pennsylvania must hold an FAA Part 107 certificate and comply with state crimes under Act 78 of 2018 (18 Pa.C.S. Section 3505). That law preempts local…
Recreational Drones
Some RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania Act 78 of 2018 (18 Pa.C.S. Section 3505) criminalizes drone surveillance of a private place, menacing operation, and contraband delivery, and preempts most local drone…
🔫 Firearms
Concealed Carry
Some RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania is a shall-issue state requiring a License to Carry Firearms (LTCF) issued by the county sheriff for concealed carry or carry in a vehicle, with statewide rules under 18…
Local Firearms Preemption
Heavy RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania law comprehensively preempts local regulation of firearms under 18 Pa.C.S. §6120. Cities and counties cannot regulate lawful ownership, possession, transfer, or…
Open Carry
Few RestrictionsPennsylvaniaOpen carry of firearms is generally legal in Pennsylvania for adults 18 or older without a permit outside Philadelphia, but a License to Carry Firearms is required statewide for…
Firearms in Vehicles
Some RestrictionsPennsylvaniaUnder 18 Pa.C.S. Section 6106, carrying a firearm in a vehicle anywhere in Pennsylvania generally requires a valid License to Carry Firearms, with limited exceptions for unloaded…
🎰 Gambling & Gaming
Casino Zoning Districts
Significant RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania caps mini-casinos at ten Category 4 slot machine licenses statewide under 4 Pa.C.S. § 1305.1, each barred from sitting within 25 linear miles of an existing Category 1, 2…
Charitable Bingo and Raffles
Significant RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania nonprofits can't run raffles, punchboards, or 50/50 drawings for charity until their own municipality's voters approve it in a referendum. Once approved, the county…
Social Gambling Rules
Heavy RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania's gambling code has no social-game or private-residence exception. 18 Pa.C.S. § 5513 makes it a first-degree misdemeanor to let people 'collect and assemble for the…
Sports Betting Law
Significant RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania channels all sports wagering through Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board certificates, and only an existing slot machine licensee can hold one under 4 Pa.C.S. § 13C11…
🏘️ HOA Rules
Assessment & Dues
Heavy RestrictionsPennsylvaniaUnder Pennsylvania's Uniform Planned Community Act, 68 Pa.C.S. § 5315, an association has an automatic lien on a unit for unpaid assessments and fines from the time they become due…
Board Procedures
Some RestrictionsPennsylvaniaA Pennsylvania association's bylaws must call at least one owners' meeting a year, and notice has to go out not less than ten and not more than 60 days before it, stating the time, the…
Flag Display Rights
Light RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania's American, Commonwealth and Military Flag Act overrides any HOA covenant that bans flags. Whatever the declaration says, an association may not stop a unit owner from…
HOA Fines & Enforcement
Significant RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania sets no dollar ceiling on a homeowners association fine. Under the Uniform Planned Community Act, 68 Pa.C.S. § 5302(a)(11), an association may levy "reasonable fines" for…
Lien & Foreclosure Limits
Significant RestrictionsPennsylvaniaA Pennsylvania planned community association gets a lien on a lot the moment an assessment or fine falls due, and 68 Pa.C.S. § 5315(a) lets it foreclose that lien in a like manner as a…
⚖️ Know Your Rights
DUI Checkpoint Legality
Some RestrictionsPennsylvaniaSobriety checkpoints are lawful in Pennsylvania, and the authority is a single clause in 75 Pa.C.S. § 6308(b) permitting an officer to stop a vehicle whenever he is engaged in a…
Recording Police
Some RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania is an all-party consent state, and 18 Pa.C.S. § 5703 grades an intentional interception of an oral communication as a felony of the third degree, one of the harshest…
Stop & Identify Laws
Light RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania has never enacted a general stop-and-identify statute, so a person stopped on the street in this Commonwealth has no statutory duty to state a name or produce…
Vehicle Search & Consent
Some RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania does not require an officer to obtain written consent before searching a car, and it does not require a warning that you may refuse. Since 5 December 2025 it does require…
🚬 Tobacco & Vaping
Tobacco Age Restrictions
Some RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania Act 112 of 2019 raised the minimum age to purchase tobacco and e-cigarettes to 21, aligning with the federal Tobacco 21 law (Dec 2019). The state law covers all tobacco…
Flavored Tobacco Bans
Few RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania does not currently impose a statewide ban on flavored tobacco or menthol cigarettes, though federal FDA marketing rules restrict which flavored vape products and…
🚗 Vehicle Equipment Laws
Underglow & Auxiliary Lighting
Significant RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania allows a passenger vehicle or light truck exactly one pair of approved auxiliary driving lamps and fog lamps, mounted at least 20 inches apart from center to center and no…
Dash Cam & Windshield Mounting
Light RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania has never written a dash cam allowance into the Vehicle Code. 75 Pa.C.S. § 4524(a) bars nontransparent material on the front windshield that materially obstructs the…
Lane Splitting & Filtering
Significant RestrictionsPennsylvaniaLane splitting is expressly illegal in Pennsylvania. Section 3523(c) of the Vehicle Code says no person shall operate a motorcycle between lanes of traffic or between adjacent lines or…
Plate Covers & Obstruction
Significant RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania flatly prohibits a tinted registration plate cover. Section 1332(b)(5) of the Vehicle Code makes it unlawful to display a plate that "has a tinted plate cover," with no…
Radar Detector Rules
Few RestrictionsPennsylvaniaA radar detector is legal in a private passenger vehicle in Pennsylvania. The full text of Title 75, the Vehicle Code, contains no occurrence of the word "detector" at all, and the…
Studded Tire & Chain Rules
Light RestrictionsPennsylvaniaStudded snow tires are legal in Pennsylvania only between November 1 and April 15 of the following year, and the studs may project no more than two thirty-seconds of an inch beyond the…
Window Tint Limits
Significant RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania sets no separate front-and-rear tint percentages the way most states do. 75 Pa.C.S. § 4524(e)(1) simply bars driving with any sun screening device that does not permit a…