Penn Hills, PA
Pop. 41,305 · Allegheny County
Most looked-up rules in Penn Hills
The topics readers look up most across the site, as they apply in Penn Hills.
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🏡 Home & Property
🏠 Renting & Housing
🔊 Noise & Neighbors
🐾 Animals & Farming
🚗 Parking & Streets
💼 Business & Licensing
📋 Permits, Signs & Events
🌎 Environment & Utilities
🛡️ Privacy & Civic
📋 Other
🚗 Parking Rules
Abandoned Vehicles
Heavy RestrictionsMunicipality of Penn Hills code makes it illegal to keep an abandoned, unregistered, or nuisance motor vehicle, or one within 10 feet of a public street, for more than 72 hours, on…
Overnight Parking
Heavy RestrictionsThe Municipality of Penn Hills, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania bans overnight on-street parking outright under its Traffic Code, separate from the time-limited and posted-zone parking…
Loading Zones
Some RestrictionsIn Penn Hills, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, vehicles cannot stop, stand, or park in a marked loading zone longer than needed to load or unload passengers or freight once signage…
Street Parking Limits
Significant RestrictionsMunicipality of Penn Hills bans parking within 5 feet of a residential driveway without owner consent and blocking driveway egress entirely, enforced Municipality-wide around the clock…
Curb Color Rules
Some RestrictionsWhen Penn Hills designates a fire lane on private property, the owner must mark it with painted lane markers, curb painting, and 'Towing Zone' no-parking signs: specs set by the…
RV & Boat Parking
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills' Zoning Code allows a boat, camper, RV, or utility trailer as a residential accessory use only in the rear yard, side yard, or garage: never staged in front yards.
Commercial & Oversized Vehicles
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills bars any vehicle over 11,000 pounds registration weight, except recreation vehicles, as an accessory use in Residential Districts, and keeps commercial vehicles off the…
Driveway Rules
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills requires driveways and open parking spaces to be paved with bituminous or concrete surfacing, though single-family homes and I-1/I-2 properties may use an alternative…
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
Weed Ordinances
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills bans noxious weeds and plant growth over 10 inches tall within 200 feet of any structure, and the same limit reaches vacant lots in developed residential areas even without…
Native Plants
Some RestrictionsWithin a riparian buffer easement created during subdivision or land development along a qualifying stream, Penn Hills law requires existing native vegetation to be protected and…
Tree Removal & Heritage Trees
Some RestrictionsThe Municipality of Penn Hills regulates planting, trimming, and removal of trees and vegetative growth citywide, requiring 10 feet of sidewalk clearance and 14 feet of roadway…
Tree Trimming
Some RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania PUC regulations universally authorize utilities to trim or remove trees within rights-of-way and easements to ensure electric service reliability statewide.
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…
🐔 Animal Ordinances
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Light RestrictionsIn Penn Hills' EastGate District, veterinarian offices are permitted as by-right professional offices under the zoning code's business/professional office definition, but the…
Cat Rules
Some RestrictionsIn the Municipality of Penn Hills, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, cats must be confined to the owner's property and kept under the owner's control whenever they're allowed outside.
Pet Limits
Significant RestrictionsAllegheny County's Municipality of Penn Hills treats any household keeping more than six dogs as a commercial kennel, and kennels are not a permitted use in residential zoning…
Dog Leash Laws
Some RestrictionsThe Municipality of Penn Hills, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania requires dogs be confined on their owner's property or, if on a public street, kept on a leash and accompanied by the…
Chickens & Livestock
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills residents may keep up to four hens per property in a coop after registering with Code Enforcement, but roosters are banned outside farms of five acres or more.
Bird Protection
Significant RestrictionsAllegheny CountyMolesting, trapping, hunting, capturing, killing or injuring any bird or mammal is banned in Allegheny County parks unless the Parks Department specifically authorizes it.
Beekeeping
Some RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania's Bee Law requires all beekeepers to register their colonies annually with the Department of Agriculture for inspection and disease control.
Breed Restrictions
Few RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania state law prohibits municipalities from enacting breed-specific legislation that restricts dogs solely based on their breed or appearance.
Exotic Pets
Heavy RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania requires Exotic Wildlife Possession Permits for keeping bears, big cats, wolves, and other dangerous exotic species under Game Commission rules.
Wildlife Feeding
Some RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania Game Commission regulations prohibit intentionally feeding bears and elk statewide, with deer feeding restricted in chronic wasting disease zones.
🔥 Fire Regulations
Smoke Detectors
Few RestrictionsPenn Hills does not enforce its own smoke-detection or fire-alarm mandate anymore. The 1998 local rule requiring alarm and detection systems in 3,000-square-foot-plus buildings was…
Outdoor Burning
Heavy RestrictionsPenn Hills bans burning any solid waste anywhere in the Municipality, allowing burning only if it complies with the Solid Waste chapter, Act 97 rules, or County Health Department…
Fireworks
Heavy RestrictionsPenn Hills prohibits carrying or discharging fireworks, firecrackers, and other missile-propelling or explosive devices anywhere on the William McKinley Citizens Center's park grounds…
Fire Pits & Backyard Fires
Some RestrictionsAllegheny CountyAllegheny County limits recreational wood fires to three feet by three feet by two feet high and requires them to burn at least 15 feet from a neighbor's dwelling, property line, or…
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
Pool Permits
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills requires anyone installing an above-ground portable pool over 100 cubic feet to register it with the Department of Code Enforcement and get a permit, though unlike in-ground…
Fencing & Safety Requirements
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills requires every private swimming pool to be enclosed by a four-to-six-foot fence with gaps under two inches and self-closing, self-latching gates to keep small children out.
🔊 Noise Ordinances
Leaf Blower Rules
Light RestrictionsPenn Hills, Allegheny County has no gas-powered leaf blower ban: it bars weedblowers, string trimmers, and other powered landscape equipment from running between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00…
Vehicle Noise
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills bans venting engine exhaust into the open air without an adequate muffler, and separately bans excessive or unreasonably loud noise from motorcycles, ATVs, and similar…
Decibel Limits
Some RestrictionsIn the Municipality of Penn Hills, Allegheny County, the noise ordinance's curfews and limits do not apply to Light or General Industrial District land located 500 feet or more from…
Barking Dogs
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills bars any animal from habitual, continuous barking, howling or crying that disturbs neighbors, defined as more than 30 minutes at a stretch.
Construction Hours
Some RestrictionsIn the Municipality of Penn Hills, Allegheny County, construction and repair work using compressors, jackhammers, drills, or other loud equipment is banned between 8:00 p.m. and 6:00…
Amplified Music & Outdoor Sound
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills caps radios, stereos and other amplified sound devices played louder than needed for voluntary listeners in the room or vehicle using them.
Aircraft Noise
Some RestrictionsAllegheny CountyAllegheny County requires new subdivisions in FAA noise-contour zones near airports to either restrict development to noise-compatible uses or soundproof structures to County Aviation…
💼 Home Business
Zoning & Home Occupation Permits
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills Zoning Ordinance 2420 permits no-impact home occupations by right in all residential zones under PA Act 43 of 2002. A Certificate of Use, Occupancy and Compliance is…
Home Daycare
Some RestrictionsFamily home daycare in Penn Hills is permitted subject to PA Department of Human Services licensing and local zoning review. Family child care homes (4-6 children) require a DHS…
Signage Rules
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills, Pennsylvania limits home occupations approved by the Zoning Hearing Board to one non-illuminated, non-animated sign no larger than one square foot, with no other visible…
Customer Traffic Restrictions
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills limits how much traffic a home occupation can create: no more vehicle or foot traffic than a typical residential block sees, and any client parking must go off-street, never…
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…
🧱 Fence Regulations
Height Limits
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills zoning caps front-yard fences at four feet, three feet on corner lots, but allows side and rear yard fences up to eight feet without a permit.
Fence Permit Requirements
Some RestrictionsIn Penn Hills side and rear yards, fences over 8 feet need a permit from the Department of Planning and Economic Development, which must find the taller fence won't harm neighboring…
Retaining Walls
Some RestrictionsAny Penn Hills retaining wall supporting an excavation steeper than 1-to-1 must be engineered and sealed by a professional engineer and approved by the Municipal Engineer before it's…
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…
🌍 Environmental Rules
Stormwater Management
Some RestrictionsDevelopment in Penn Hills cannot increase peak stormwater discharge rates: post-development runoff for the 1- through 100-year, 24-hour storm events must stay at or below…
Erosion Control
Some RestrictionsConstruction and other earth-disturbing work in the Municipality of Penn Hills must use erosion and sediment control best management practices throughout the project, and no regulated…
Flood Zones
Significant RestrictionsPenn Hills bars new construction within 50 feet of any watercourse's top-of-bank inside a mapped floodplain unless the state Department of Environmental Protection issues a permit…
Flood Elevation Requirements
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills requires new or substantially improved structures in flood zones to elevate their lowest floor to the base flood elevation plus a mandatory 1.5-foot freeboard safety margin.
Vehicle Idling Restrictions
Some RestrictionsAllegheny CountyAllegheny County bans heavy-duty diesel trucks from idling longer than reasonably needed to reach normal operating temperature, enforced by the Health Department with escalating fines.
📐 Building Setbacks & Zoning
🔑 Rental Property Rules
Rental Registration
Significant RestrictionsEvery owner or landlord of a residential rental unit in Penn Hills, Allegheny County, must file a certificate of use, occupancy and compliance application before any change of tenant…
Repairs & Habitability
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills' locally amended Existing Structures Code sets minimum physical habitability standards for dwellings, including bedroom floor-area minimums and separate-unit requirements…
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…
🗑️ Trash & Recycling
Recycling Requirements
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills requires every resident to separate designated recyclables, glass, metal cans, plastics, newspaper, and leaves, from regular trash.
Illegal Dumping
Heavy RestrictionsDumping, throwing, or depositing solid waste on any Penn Hills street, sidewalk, waterway, or public or private property is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of $500 to $2,000 plus…
Yard Waste Collection
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills bans loose leaves from garbage collection and requires residents to bag leaves and set them curbside only 24 hours before pickup.
Pickup Rules & Schedules
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills collects residential garbage weekly and confines all solid waste collection to Monday-Friday and Saturday, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., under the Municipality's 2023 solid waste…
Bin Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills caps standard trash cans at 32 gallons and 50 pounds loaded (unless using automated carts), requires tight-fitting lids, and limits curbside placement to collection day…
Collection Schedule
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills provides weekly residential garbage and rubbish collection and requires households to use the municipal service unless an approved alternative is arranged.
Bulk Item Disposal
Some RestrictionsLarge items like furniture and appliances are collected in Penn Hills only by prior arrangement with the waste collector, and special fees may apply.
Dumpster Rules
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills requires a permit before placing a bulk rubbish container or roll-off dumpster, bars placement in the right-of-way or within six feet of a curb, and limits use to 30 days.
🚶 Sidewalk & Pedestrian Rules
Sidewalk Repair
Some RestrictionsProperty owners in the Municipality of Penn Hills, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania must keep sidewalks in front of their property in good repair or face a 30-day notice, municipal…
Obstruction Rules
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills bans placing boxes, barrels, merchandise, or debris on public sidewalks, with narrow exceptions for temporary safety barricades and short loading or unloading.
Encroachment Permits
Significant RestrictionsAllegheny CountyAnyone performing work on or under a County road or bridge in Allegheny County must first obtain a highway or bridge occupancy permit from the Department of Public Works.
🏪 Business Licensing & Operations
Secondhand Dealers
Significant RestrictionsPenn Hills requires antique and secondhand dealers to get a license from the License Officer, file a sworn police application with fingerprints, and hold most goods before resale.
Towing Companies
Significant RestrictionsPenn Hills only dispatches private tow companies under Council contract, and each contractor must post a $10,000 bond guaranteeing faithful performance before hauling illegally parked…
Adult Entertainment
Significant RestrictionsSexually oriented establishments in Penn Hills must sit at least 1,000 feet from another such business, 400 feet from residential land, and cannot open without a Municipality-issued…
Tobacco Retail License
Significant RestrictionsHookah bars and lounges in Penn Hills need a 1,200-foot buffer from schools, churches, parks and other hookah lounges, indoor-only seating, and a revocable municipal occupancy permit.
🚪 Soliciting & Door-to-Door
Solicitor Permits
Significant RestrictionsPeddlers, transient merchants, and commercial canvassers must get a police-issued license before going door-to-door in Penn Hills, backed by a sworn application, fingerprints, and…
No-Knock Registry
Some RestrictionsLicensed peddlers and canvassers in Penn Hills may only solicit 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays, and are barred entirely on Sundays and state or federal holidays.
🎪 Special Events & Permits
Sidewalk Dining & Cafés
Some RestrictionsSidewalk cafes and outdoor dining in Penn Hills skip the Zoning Code's outdoor-storage screening rules but still need Code Enforcement sign-off so they don't block pedestrian or…
Parade Permits
Significant RestrictionsFunerals, processions, or parades in the Municipality of Penn Hills, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania exceeding 200 people or 50 vehicles need a permit issued by Municipal Council before…
Park Event Permits
Some RestrictionsAllegheny CountyReserving a building, shelter, grove, athletic field, or other facility in an Allegheny County park requires a permit from the Parks Department under county code.
🪧 Sign Regulations
Digital Billboards
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills allows LED billboards with electronically changing messages, but only in I-1 and I-2 Industrial Districts, and every such sign must meet PennDOT's digital-billboard…
Political Signs
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills lets campaign signs go up no more than 30 days before an election and requires removal within 12 days after, banning them from municipal property and utility poles.
🏚️ Property Maintenance
Property Blight
Significant RestrictionsThe Municipality of Penn Hills' Vacant and Abandoned Property Ordinance defines blighted property by hazard, neglect, and nuisance citations, then declares all abandoned real property…
Snow & Sidewalk Clearing
Some RestrictionsIn the Municipality of Penn Hills, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, property owners and tenants must clear at least 30 inches of sidewalk snow and ice within six hours after a storm…
🌙 Curfew Laws
Juvenile Curfew
Significant RestrictionsPenn Hills bars minors under 18 from public places between 10:30 p.m. and 6 a.m. on weeknights, and 11:30 p.m. to 6 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Park Curfew
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills closes the outdoor park, basketball court, and field areas of the William McKinley Citizens Center to the public between 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. daily, unless the Center's…
🩺 Public Health Rules
🍔 Food Trucks & Mobile Vendors
Vending Zones
Some RestrictionsFood trucks in Penn Hills are permitted in commercial zoning districts with property-owner authorization. Operation on public streets or in residential districts is generally not…
Food Truck Permits
Some RestrictionsMobile food vendors in Penn Hills must obtain a Mobile Food Vendor Permit from the municipality plus an annual Allegheny County Health Department mobile food facility permit. PA…
🔧 Building Safety
Electrical Permits
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills requires a permit and District Inspector approval before any electrical wiring, machinery, or apparatus is installed, constructed, or repaired under the adopted National…
Building Inspections
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills, Pennsylvania requires permit holders doing grading, excavation, or fill work to schedule inspections at five defined stages, from initial site work through final…
Building Permits
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills requires a building permit for any construction or improvement costing more than $2,000; smaller jobs are exempt. Permits cost $5 per $1,000 of construction value with a $25…
🚷 Public Conduct
Loitering Rules
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills prohibits loafing or loitering on sidewalks and streets in a way that blocks passage near churches, schools, or businesses, once police order a person to move on.
Public Alcohol Use
Significant RestrictionsPenn Hills bars anyone from bringing or drinking alcoholic beverages in municipal parks or municipally owned buildings without a special permit from the Department of Parks and…
💡 Outdoor Lighting
Light Trespass & Shielding
Some RestrictionsPenn Hills' swimming pool code bars artificial lighting that shines directly onto a neighbor's property and flatly bans unshielded fixtures, whether the light comes from an in-ground…
Dark Sky Rules
Some RestrictionsAllegheny CountyNew subdivisions and land developments in Allegheny County must use IESNA full-cutoff fixtures aimed straight down over parking lots, walkways and other horizontal surfaces to cut sky…
Billboard Lighting
Some RestrictionsAllegheny CountyExternally lit billboards and signs reviewed under Allegheny County's subdivision code must be top-mounted, downward-aimed and capped at 30 vertical footcandles of illumination.
🏘️ HOA Rules
Dispute Resolution
Some RestrictionsAllegheny CountyHOA disputes in Allegheny County resolved under 68 Pa.C.S. §5311 allowing unit owners to bring actions for declaratory/injunctive relief, damages, and attorney's fees for HOA…
CC&R Enforcement
Heavy RestrictionsAllegheny CountyHOA CC&R (Declaration of Covenants) enforcement in PA authorized under 68 Pa.C.S. §5302(a)(11) and §5303. HOAs may impose fines (if authorized by declaration), suspend common area…
Assessment & Dues
Heavy RestrictionsAllegheny CountyHOA assessments in Allegheny County governed by 68 Pa.C.S. §5314 (UPCA). Assessments are automatic liens on units from due date under §5315 without recording. HOAs may foreclose liens…
Architectural Review
Some RestrictionsAllegheny CountyArchitectural review in PA HOAs is governed by declaration/CC&Rs authority delegated under 68 Pa.C.S. §5302(a)(11). UPCA permits HOAs to regulate exterior appearance, additions, and…
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…
🌳 Tree Protection
Heritage & Protected Trees
Heavy RestrictionsAllegheny CountyAllegheny County flatly bars approval of any subdivision or land development plan that would destroy a tree listed on its official Register of Bicentennial Trees.
Parkway Planting
Some RestrictionsAllegheny CountyAllegheny County requires street trees along both sides of new subdivision and land development streets, with minimum trunk calipers and spacing set by tree size under the county…
🍖 Outdoor Cooking
Outdoor Kitchen Permits
Few RestrictionsAllegheny CountyAllegheny County exempts outdoor cooking fires from its open burning permit requirement, as long as the fire uses approved fuel and follows the size and setback rules for recreational…
Smoker Rules
Some RestrictionsAllegheny CountyAllegheny County restricts backyard smokers, grills, and outdoor fireplaces to clean wood, propane, natural gas, charcoal, and a few approved fire-starting materials.
🌱 Cannabis Regulations
Dispensary Zoning
Heavy RestrictionsPennsylvaniaThe Pennsylvania Medical Marijuana Act establishes statewide siting rules for dispensaries, including a 1,000-foot setback from schools and daycares, while allowing reasonable local…
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…
🚁 Drone Rules
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…
⚖️ 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…
🚜 Right to Farm
Agricultural Zoning Protection
Few RestrictionsPennsylvaniaPennsylvania protects agricultural land through Agricultural Security Areas under Act 43 of 1981 and the Agricultural Area Security Law, working alongside municipal zoning to limit…
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…
🚬 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…