Public Conduct in Erie, PA (2026)
6 verified public conduct rules for Erie, Pennsylvania, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Aggressive Panhandling
Erie's panhandling ordinance doesn't ban solicitation outright, but it bars panhandling that blocks traffic or crosses into an "aggressive manner," defined as following someone more than 25 feet, continuing after a refusal, touching the person, or using profane or threatening language. Fines run up to $600 per violation.
Erie Bans Aggressive Panhandling, Traffic Blocking
Significant RestrictionsCity of Erie, PA Codified Ordinances § 743.01(b) (Definitions - Panhandling in an Aggressive Manner)
PANHANDLING IN AN AGGRESSIVE MANNER - (1) Following behind, ahead or alongside a person for more than 25 feet either before, during or after panhandling if that conduct is intended or is likely to cause a reasonable person to fear bodily harm to oneself or to another or damage to or loss of property or otherwise be intimidated into giving money or other thing of value; (2) Continuing to panhand...
Skateboarding Rules
Erie bans skateboarding outright in Perry Square Park and the Transitway Mall, and on every other City-owned or City-controlled property unless a City agency specifically authorizes it. A violation is a summary offense carrying up to a $300 fine and 30 days in jail.
Skateboarding Banned in Perry Square, Mall
Significant RestrictionsCity of Erie, PA Codified Ordinances § 735.02 (Prohibitions)
(a) Skateboarding is prohibited in Perry Square Park and the Transitway Mall. (b) Skateboarding is prohibited on all other City owned and/or controlled property, except as may be specifically authorized by the appropriate governmental entity.
Loitering Rules
Erie's Article 737 makes it a summary offense to loiter in any public place with the purpose of committing or aiding a drug abuse offense, especially where the person repeatedly beckons passers-by, stops vehicles, or blocks pedestrian traffic. Conviction carries up to a $1,000 fine and up to 90 days in jail.
Loitering to Aid Drug Deals Barred in Erie
Heavy RestrictionsCity of Erie, PA Codified Ordinances § 737.02 (Prohibitions)
(a) No person, with purpose to commit or aid the commission of a drug abuse offense, shall loiter in any public place, and do any of the following: (1) Repeatedly beckon, stop, attempt to stop, or engage passers-by or pedestrians in conversation; or (2) Repeatedly stop or attempt to stop motor vehicles; or (3) Repeatedly interfere with the free passage of other persons. (b) No person, with purp...
Outdoor Smoking Restrictions
Every City-owned park, playground and recreation area in Erie is designated a tobacco-free zone under Article 747, banning smoking, e-cigarettes, vaping and all other tobacco products outdoors on that property. Signage marks the zones, and violators face a $100 fine before a Magisterial District Justice.
Erie City Parks Are Tobacco-Free Zones
Some RestrictionsCity of Erie, PA Codified Ordinances § 747.02 (Designated tobacco-free areas)
All City-owned parks and recreation areas shall hereby be designated a "tobacco free zone," and the use of any tobacco product or electronic cigarette, in any form, shall be prohibited hereafter.
Public Marijuana Use
Smoking marijuana in any public space in Erie carries a $100 summary fine, and simple possession alone draws a lower $25 fine under the city's 2018 decriminalization ordinance. Police issue a Notice of Violation on the spot or by mail instead of a criminal arrest for these violations.
Erie Bans Public Marijuana Use, Sets $100 Fine
Some RestrictionsCodified Ordinances of the City of Erie, PA, Article 714 (Marijuana Possession Procedure), §§ 714.01, 714.02, 714.03, 714.99
(a) So long as marijuana shall be listed as a controlled substance in the "Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act," 1972, April 14, P.L. 233, No. 64, § 1 et seq., 35 P.S. §§ 780-101 et seq., no person shall be in possession of a small amount of marijuana and/or possession of drug paraphernalia as defined in said Act. (b) The following shall be a summary violation of this section: (...
Public Alcohol Use
Erie makes it a crime to drink alcohol on any street, sidewalk, park or public place, or in a vehicle that's moving, parked or standing on a public way, and separately bans discarding open containers anywhere in the city outside a trash receptacle. A conviction carries up to $300 and 90 days in jail.
Erie Bans Open Alcohol in Public and Cars
Heavy RestrictionsErie, PA Codified Ordinances § 704.01 (Consumption in motor vehicle; discarding containers)
No person shall: (a) Consume an alcoholic beverage of any kind or description, as defined by the Liquor Control Board of Pennsylvania, while in or on a vehicle which is moving, parked, stopped or standing on any street, roadway or other public way in the City; or for the driver, owner or person in control of any vehicle to permit any person or persons to drink intoxicating liquor or fermented m...