Pennsylvania has no statewide ban or upon-request rule for plastic straws, and following the lapse of single-use plastic preemption in 2024 cities may again adopt straw-on-request or ban policies.
Pennsylvania has not enacted a statewide ban on plastic drinking straws or a statewide upon-request requirement for food-service establishments. The 2020 to 2024 statutory moratorium on local single-use plastic ordinances limited municipal action; that preemption ended with Act 87 of 2024. Philadelphia's plastic straw upon-request rule and similar local ordinances are now clearly enforceable, and other municipalities are free to adopt comparable rules. There is no state agency administering a straw-specific program, and food-service establishments outside cities with their own rules face no straw-specific obligations under state law.
Where local ordinances apply, fines are typically issued by city code enforcement; no state penalty exists.
Lancaster, PA
The City of Lancaster prohibits loud, disturbing, or unnecessary noise across the city, with stricter standards during nighttime quiet hours of 10:00 PM to 7...
Lancaster, PA
Lancaster regulates on-street parking through Chapter 263 of the City Code and the Lancaster Parking Authority. Most downtown blocks are metered or permit-on...
Lancaster, PA
Lancaster's Zoning Code caps residential fences at 4 feet in front yards and 6 feet in side and rear yards, with extra rules in the city's designated Heritag...
Lancaster, PA
Lancaster requires dogs to be leashed and under control of their owner whenever off the owner's property. Chapter 97 of the City Code works in tandem with th...
Lancaster, PA
Pennsylvania Act 43 of 2017 (72 P.S. §9401) legalized consumer-grade (1.4G) fireworks statewide for adults 18+, but Lancaster's dense rowhouse fabric makes d...
Lancaster, PA
Lancaster requires property owners to keep grass and weeds under 10 inches in height on all residential and commercial lots. Chapter 235 (Property Maintenanc...
See how Lancaster's plastic straw rules rules stack up against other locations.
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