Allentown, PA Public Conduct: Loitering Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 244-4
- Trigger
- Ignoring officer's order to stop
- Max fine
- $1,000
- Max jail
- 90 days
- Adopted
- Amended 1977, Ord. No. 12243
- Warrantless arrest
- Allowed if public safety endangered
Summary
Allentown bars loitering that blocks streets, sidewalks or businesses, and lets police order violators to stop before issuing a citation. Ignoring that order is itself a separate offense, punishable by up to $1,000 and 90 days in jail.
§ 244-4. Loitering; obstructing public places. A. No person shall loiter in a public place, as hereinafter defined, in such manner as to obstruct any public street, public sidewalk, public bridge, or other public place or public building by hindering or impeding or tending to hinder or impede the free and uninterrupted passage of vehicles or pedestrians... D. When any person causes or commits any of the conditions enumerated in Subsection A or B hereof, a law enforcement officer for the City shall order that person to stop causing or committing such condition. If any person receiving any such order from a law enforcement officer fails or refuses to obey the same, that person shall be guilty of a violation of this section and shall be subject to the penalties prescribed in § 244-10.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4995055; v49 updated 2026-06-26; through 06-26-2026).
Full Breakdown
" Subsection B separately bars any act in a public place that obstructs a business's operation or interferes with people's free ingress and egress to it. The ordinance, last amended in 1977 by Ordinance No. 12243, defines loitering as "remaining idle in essentially one location or lingering or standing around without purpose either alone or in consort with others," and defines public place broadly to include streets, sidewalks, and the area immediately in front of a parking lot, store, restaurant or tavern. D, a law enforcement officer must first order a person committing the prohibited conduct to stop; only if that person fails or refuses to obey is a violation charged, and the penalty falls under § 244-10. § 1520, giving courts flexibility on disposition. § 8902(a).
Violations & Fines
Any person violating Article I of Chapter 244, including the loitering ban, is subject under § 244-10 to a fine of not more than $1,000 or imprisonment of not more than 90 days, or both. A loitering charge only attaches after the person ignores a police officer's direct order to stop, and courts may use alternative adjudication under 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 1520.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Allentown
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