Pennsylvania
Weird Laws in Pennsylvania: Which Are Still on the Books?
Independently fact-checked against primary sources (last audited October 21, 2026). · 7 primary sources cited on this page. How we verify our legal content
Pennsylvania's weird laws are a mix of genuine oddities and real rules that drift as they are retold. We checked eight claims from popular lists against the Pennsylvania statutes, the Pennsylvania Code of regulations, and, for the one that names a town, the Tarentum Borough Code, as of October 21, 2026. Four are on the books, three are real laws told in twisted form, and one was not found. For other states, see our guide to weird laws by state.
Weird laws in Pennsylvania: the verdicts
Each claim below was checked against the Pennsylvania code and, where it names a town, the local code. 8 claims checked.
The claim: Convicted felons may not run bingo games.
What the law says: Under the Bingo Law, a licensed association may not let anyone convicted of a felony (or of a Bingo Law violation) manage, set up, supervise or participate in operating the association's bingo games. It is a licensing rule for charitable bingo, not a blanket ban on felons, and a 2017 exception (para. 13) lets a non-member with no felony conviction announce numbers.
“Except as provided in paragraph (13), no association shall permit any person who is not a bona fide member of the association or who has been convicted of a felony or a violation of this act to manage, set up, supervise or participate in the operation of the association's bingo games.”
Penalty: Section 7(b): "Any person who conducts or assists in the conducting of bingo in violation of the provisions of this act, is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree."
Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.
The claim: Fortune-telling for gain is illegal.
What the law says: Pretending, for gain, to tell fortunes or predict future events (cards, palmistry, astrology, spells, love potions, etc.) is a third-degree misdemeanor.
“A person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the third degree if he pretends for gain or lucre, to tell fortunes or predict future events, by cards, tokens, the inspection of the head or hands of any person, or by the age of anyone, or by consulting the movements of the heavenly bodies, or in any other manner”
Penalty: misdemeanor of the third degree
No court opinion in our database cites this section.
Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.
The claim: Discharging explosives or guns at a wedding is illegal.
What the law says: No wedding-specific rule was found in Pennsylvania law. General laws cover the conduct: consumer fireworks may not be set off without the property owner's permission or within 150 feet of a building or vehicle (3 Pa.C.S. 1104), and intentionally disturbing or interrupting a lawful meeting, procession or gathering is a third-degree misdemeanor (18 Pa.C.S. 5508).
“A person may not intentionally use consumer fireworks: (1) On private property or on public property, including, but not limited to, streets, parking lots, sidewalks and parks, without the express permission of the owner or entity that controls the property. ... (5) Within 150 feet of a building or vehicle, whether or not the building or vehicle is owned by the user of the consumer fireworks.”
Penalty: 3 Pa.C.S. 1114(1): "A person using consumer fireworks in violation of the provisions of this chapter for the first offense commits a summary offense and, upon conviction, shall, in addition to any other penalty authorized by law, be punishable by a fine of not more than $500. A subsequent offense under this paragraph committed within three years of a prior conviction under this paragraph shall constitute a summary offense and, upon conviction, shall, in addition to any other penalty authorized by law, be punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000."
No court opinion in our database cites this section.
Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.
The claim: Sunday sale of cars (and historically bicycles but not tricycles) is banned.
What the law says: Engaging in the business of buying, selling, exchanging or trading new or used motor vehicles or trailers on Sunday is a summary offense (repealed as to motorcycles in 2011). The bicycle/tricycle detail is not in the current text.
“A person is guilty of a summary offense if he engages in the business of buying, selling, exchanging, trading, or otherwise dealing in new or used motor vehicles or trailers, on Sunday.”
Penalty: summary offense; second or later offense within one year of a conviction: fine not exceeding $200
No court opinion in our database cites this section.
Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.
The claim: You can't hunt big game that is swimming.
What the law says: It is unlawful to hunt, kill or take big game by any of several listed methods, including when the big game is swimming.
“no person shall hunt, kill or take or attempt, aid, abet, assist or conspire to hunt, kill or take any big game, except wild turkey, with any of the following devices or methods: ... (5) When any big game is swimming.”
Penalty: summary offense of the fifth degree; big game killed contrary to the section is contraband
No court opinion in our database cites this section.
Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.
The claim: In Tarentum it is illegal to tie a horse to a parking meter.
What the law says: No Tarentum Borough ordinance about tying a horse to a parking meter was found in the borough code chapters checked, and no Pennsylvania state statute covers it.
No state law found in the Pennsylvania code as of October 21, 2026.
How we searched
We read the Tarentum Borough Code chapters on animals, peace and good order, and vehicles and traffic for any rule on tying horses or animals to parking meters, and searched the full text of the Pennsylvania statutes for parking meter rules.
Parts of the code read
- Tarentum Borough Code Chapter 88 (Animals)
- Tarentum Borough Code Chapter 179 (Peace and Good Order)
- Tarentum Borough Code Chapter 250, Article III (Vehicles and Traffic)
The local code named in the claim was checked too.
Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.
The claim: A bedroom may not be more than 200 feet from a bathroom.
What the law says: A Department of Human Services licensing regulation for child residential facilities requires that a child's bedroom be no more than 200 feet from a bathtub or shower and a toilet. It is a facility licensing rule, not a rule for ordinary homes.
“A child's bedroom may not be more than 200 feet from a bathtub or shower and a toilet.”
Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.
The claim: A drunk person may not be married by a minister.
What the law says: The marriage-license statute bars issuing a license when either applicant is under the influence of alcohol or drugs at the time of application. It is a rule for license issuance, not a rule against a minister marrying a drunk person.
“No marriage license may be issued if, at the time of making application, either of the applicants is under the influence of alcohol or drugs.”
Last cited by a court: Commonwealth, Department of Health v. Hanes (2013)
Primary source · Checked October 21, 2026.
Checked October 21, 2026. This is legal history and information, not legal advice. Laws change; the linked official text is the authority.
Four that hold up
Fortune-telling for money
The fortune-telling claim is accurate, and the statute's own list of methods is the strangest part. 18 Pa.C.S. 7104 reads:
A person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the third degree if he pretends for gain or lucre, to tell fortunes or predict future events, by cards, tokens, the inspection of the head or hands of any person, or by the age of anyone, or by consulting the movements of the heavenly bodies, or in any other manner
The key words are "for gain or lucre." The section is aimed at doing it for money.
Car dealers and Sunday
Under 18 Pa.C.S. 7365, a person commits a summary offense by engaging "in the business of buying, selling, exchanging, trading, or otherwise dealing in new or used motor vehicles or trailers, on Sunday." A second or later offense within one year of a conviction carries a fine of up to $200. The section was repealed as to motorcycles in 2011. The popular version adds that bicycles were once covered but tricycles were not; that detail does not appear in the current text.
Big game in the water
Pennsylvania's Game and Wildlife Code lists methods that may not be used to hunt, kill or take big game other than wild turkey. One of them, in 34 Pa.C.S. 2322(a)(5), is simply: "When any big game is swimming." A violation is a summary offense of the fifth degree, and big game killed contrary to the section is contraband.
Felons and charitable bingo
The bingo claim is true but narrower than it sounds. Section 5(c)(9) of the Bingo Law (10 P.S. 305) is a licensing condition for associations that run bingo:
Except as provided in paragraph (13), no association shall permit any person who is not a bona fide member of the association or who has been convicted of a felony or a violation of this act to manage, set up, supervise or participate in the operation of the association's bingo games.
It is a rule for charitable bingo, not a general ban on people with felony records. A 2017 amendment, paragraph (13), lets a non-member with no felony conviction announce numbers. Under section 7(b), anyone who conducts or assists in conducting bingo in violation of the act is guilty of a first-degree misdemeanor.
Three that got twisted in the retelling
Gunfire and explosives at a wedding
No wedding-specific rule was found in Pennsylvania law. General laws reach the conduct the claim describes. Under 3 Pa.C.S. 1104(b), consumer fireworks may not be used on property without the owner's express permission, or within 150 feet of a building or vehicle. A first offense is a summary offense with a fine of up to $500, and a repeat within three years up to $1,000 (3 Pa.C.S. 1114). Separately, intentionally disturbing or interrupting a lawful meeting, procession or gathering is a third-degree misdemeanor under 18 Pa.C.S. 5508.
A bedroom 200 feet from the bathroom
This one comes from a regulation, not a statute, and it does not govern houses. The Department of Human Services licensing rules for child residential facilities say, in 55 Pa. Code 3800.257: "A child's bedroom may not be more than 200 feet from a bathtub or shower and a toilet." The 200-foot number is real; the setting is a licensed facility for children.
A minister and a drunk couple
The statute behind this claim is not a rule about whom a minister may marry. It sits one step earlier, at the license counter. 23 Pa.C.S. 1304(d) says: "No marriage license may be issued if, at the time of making application, either of the applicants is under the influence of alcohol or drugs."
The horse and the parking meter
The Tarentum claim says it is illegal to tie a horse to a parking meter there. We read the Tarentum Borough Code chapters on animals (Chapter 88), peace and good order (Chapter 179) and vehicles and traffic (Chapter 250, Article III), and searched the full text of the Pennsylvania statutes for parking meter rules. No Tarentum ordinance and no state statute on tying a horse or other animal to a parking meter was found as of October 21, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is fortune-telling illegal in Pennsylvania?
Under 18 Pa.C.S. 7104, a person who pretends for gain or lucre to tell fortunes or predict future events, by cards, tokens, palm reading, astrology or in any other manner, commits a misdemeanor of the third degree. The section covers doing it for gain.
Is it illegal to sell cars on Sunday in Pennsylvania?
Under 18 Pa.C.S. 7365, engaging in the business of buying, selling, exchanging or trading new or used motor vehicles or trailers on Sunday is a summary offense, with a fine of up to $200 for a second or later offense within one year of a conviction. The section was repealed as to motorcycles in 2011.
Is it illegal to hunt big game while it is swimming in Pennsylvania?
34 Pa.C.S. 2322(a)(5) bars hunting, killing or taking any big game other than wild turkey when the big game is swimming. A violation is a summary offense of the fifth degree, and big game killed that way is contraband.
Can a convicted felon run a bingo game in Pennsylvania?
Under section 5(c)(9) of the Bingo Law (10 P.S. 305), a licensed association may not permit anyone convicted of a felony or a Bingo Law violation to manage, set up, supervise or participate in operating its bingo games. A 2017 exception lets a non-member with no felony conviction announce numbers.
Is there a Pennsylvania law about how far a bedroom can be from a bathroom?
Only for licensed child residential facilities. 55 Pa. Code 3800.257 says a child bedroom in such a facility may not be more than 200 feet from a bathtub or shower and a toilet. It is a Department of Human Services licensing rule, not a rule for ordinary homes.
Is it illegal to tie a horse to a parking meter in Tarentum, Pennsylvania?
No Tarentum Borough ordinance on tying a horse to a parking meter was found in the borough code chapters on animals, peace and good order, and vehicles and traffic, and no Pennsylvania statute on it was found, as of October 21, 2026.
What are some weird laws in Pennsylvania?
Of the 8 claims checked, four are current law: the fortune-telling-for-gain misdemeanor, the Sunday car dealing ban, the rule against hunting swimming big game, and the bar on felons running charitable bingo games. Three others, about weddings, bedrooms near bathrooms and drunk couples, are real laws retold in twisted form.
Updates
Independently fact-checked against the cited primary sources
Sources and References
- 18 Pa.C.S. 7104, fortune telling (Pennsylvania General Assembly)(www.palegis.us).gov
- 18 Pa.C.S. 7365, trading in motor vehicles and trailers on Sunday (Pennsylvania General Assembly)(www.palegis.us).gov
- 34 Pa.C.S. 2322, prohibited devices and methods for hunting (Pennsylvania General Assembly)(www.palegis.us).gov
- Bingo Law, Act of July 10, 1981, P.L. 214, No. 67, sections 5 and 7 (10 P.S. 305) (Pennsylvania General Assembly)(www.palegis.us).gov
- 3 Pa.C.S. 1104, use of consumer fireworks (Pennsylvania General Assembly)(www.palegis.us).gov
- 55 Pa. Code 3800.257, bedrooms in child residential facilities (Pennsylvania Code and Bulletin)(www.pacodeandbulletin.gov).gov
- 23 Pa.C.S. 1304, restrictions on issuance of marriage licenses (Pennsylvania General Assembly)(www.palegis.us).gov
- Tarentum Borough Code (eCode360)(ecode360.com)
- Commonwealth, Department of Health v. Hanes (2013)(courtlistener.com)