Bucks County, PA Public Conduct: Public Marijuana Use (2026)
Key Facts
- Banned conduct
- consumption and possession
- Statute cited
- 35 P.S. §§ 780-101 et seq.
- Confiscation
- mandatory, § 9.18(B)
- Medical exception
- valid practitioner order only
- Ordinance ticket
- $25 to $100
- Summary fine
- up to $600, 10 days jail
Summary
Bucks 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 Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act, 35 P.S. §§ 780-101 et seq., and Park Police confiscate any drugs or paraphernalia found under Section 9.18(B). The rule reaches consumption too, not just possession, with no carve-out for recreational use.
A. No person shall:
1. Consume or possess any illegal drug, drug paraphernalia, or controlled substance, as listed and defined in the act of April 14, 1972 (P.L. 233, No, 64), 35 P.S. §§ 780-101 et. seq., known as the Controlled Substance, Drug Device and Cosmetic Act, while in or upon any property within the Park System.
Full Breakdown
18(A)(1) of Ordinance No. 170 as amended by Ordinance No. , while on any property within the Park System. Marijuana remains a controlled substance under that Act outside Pennsylvania's separate Medical Marijuana Act framework, so smoking or vaping it in a county park falls under this ban. 18(A)(2) separately bars entering or remaining in the Park System while under the influence of any drug or controlled substance to the point of being a danger to oneself, other people or property, which reaches a visitor who is impaired even without drugs on hand.
18(B) directs Park Police to confiscate any illegal drugs, paraphernalia or controlled substances found in a person's possession within the Park System. 18(C) carves out one narrow exception: nothing in the section interferes with possessing or using a controlled substance under a practitioner's lawful order, covering a park visitor with a valid prescription. Section 11 layers Pennsylvania's own drug statutes on top of the park-specific ban, and Section 13 gives Park Police enforcement authority. A violation is a summary offense under Section 12(A), carrying a fine up to $600 plus restitution and up to 10 days in jail, or the Department can instead issue a $25-to-$100 county ordinance ticket under Section 12(B), and the Director can expel the person from the Park System for six months to two years.
Violations & Fines
Consuming or possessing marijuana or another controlled substance in a Bucks County park is a summary offense under Section 12(A): a fine up to $600 plus restitution and up to 10 days' imprisonment. The Department can instead issue a $25-to-$100 county ordinance ticket under Section 12(B). Park Police also confiscate the drugs or paraphernalia under Section 9.18(B), and the Director can expel the violator from the Park System for six months to two years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is smoking marijuana allowed in a Bucks County park?
Does a Pennsylvania medical marijuana card allow use in a county park?
What happens if Park Police find drugs on me in a Bucks County park?
Can I be removed from a Bucks County park for drug use?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bucks County
Compare Bucks County to another location·View the Pennsylvania public conduct overview
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