Where You Cannot Carry in Pennsylvania: Prohibited Places

Pennsylvania Prohibited Places for Concealed Carry

The bottom line

Pennsylvania has a relatively short list of statutorily prohibited places. Schools (18 Pa.C.S. § 912), court facilities (18 Pa.C.S. § 913), and the public streets and public property of Philadelphia (18 Pa.C.S. § 6108) are the headline state-law restrictions, plus detention facilities and a handful of state agency lands. Federal off-limits places (federal buildings, post offices, VA facilities, military installations, secure airport areas, federal courthouses) apply on top of state law regardless of whether you hold a Pennsylvania License to Carry Firearms (LTCF). Private property owners can post "no firearms" signs, but their enforcement runs through the trespass statute (18 Pa.C.S. § 3503(b)), not as a separate firearm offense.

For an LTCF holder running daily errands outside Philadelphia, the practical map is short: stay out of K-12 buildings and grounds, stay out of courthouses, respect federal posting, and honor private property "no firearms" requests. Everything else (bars, restaurants that serve alcohol, polling places, hospitals, parks, churches, shopping centers) is generally on the table for a licensed carrier under state law. Pennsylvania has not enacted a New York style "sensitive places" statute, and § 6120 preempts most local regulation.

Where you cannot carry

If a place is not on this list, Pennsylvania concealed carry is generally lawful inside it for a licensee who is otherwise able to possess a firearm.

K-12 schools: 18 Pa.C.S. § 912

Section 912 is the single biggest location restriction for everyday carry in Pennsylvania. It applies to elementary and secondary schools, public and private, and it reaches both buildings and grounds.

Under § 912(b), a person commits a misdemeanor of the first degree if they possess a "weapon" in the buildings of, on the grounds of, or in any conveyance providing transportation to or from any elementary or secondary publicly funded educational institution, any private school licensed by the Department of Education, or any parochial school. "Weapon" includes a firearm.

The statute has a defense in § 912(c). It is a defense that the weapon was possessed (1) for lawful supervised school activity, (2) for other lawful purpose, or (3) under written authorization from the school. The Pennsylvania State Police and Philadelphia Police Department public guidance treat the (c) defenses as narrow and fact-specific. An LTCF is not itself a defense to § 912. The lawful-purpose defense is an affirmative one raised after charging, not a license to walk a firearm into the school.

Practical implications for licensees:

• A parent picking up a child is in the same posture as any other adult under § 912 inside the building or on the grounds. There is no parental drop-off carve-out the way some other states have written.
• A firearm secured in a private vehicle while the carrier walks in to pick up a student is the practical line. No Pennsylvania appellate decision has cleanly resolved whether parking a vehicle containing a firearm in a school lot is itself a § 912 violation. Treat the school lot as a gray zone and avoid carrying onto it whenever feasible.
• § 912 reaches "any conveyance providing transportation to or from" a covered school. School district buses, charter buses on a school field trip, and other dedicated school transport are covered.

School security personnel

Pennsylvania has a separate statutory framework (Act 67 of 2019) for school police officers, school resource officers, and school security guards. These statutes carve out specific employment categories from the § 912 prohibition. School security guards may be armed if they are LTCF holders, are certified under the Lethal Weapons Training Act (Act 235 of 1974), and have completed PCCD-approved training. None of this creates a general path for licensees to carry on school grounds.

The federal Gun-Free School Zones Act

Federal law adds another layer. 18 U.S.C. § 922(q) makes it a federal offense to possess a firearm within 1,000 feet of the grounds of a public, private, or parochial school. The federal law has an exemption for a person who holds a license issued by the state in which the school is located. Pennsylvania LTCF holders are within that exemption inside Pennsylvania. For an unlicensed open carrier walking past a school in the 1,000-foot zone, § 922(q) is a federal misdemeanor that an LTCF would have prevented.

Court facilities: 18 Pa.C.S. § 913

Section 913 is broader than people expect. It is not limited to courtrooms.

Under § 913(a), a person commits a misdemeanor of the third degree if they knowingly possess a firearm or other dangerous weapon in a court facility, or a misdemeanor of the first degree if the weapon is possessed with the intent to use it in the commission of a crime (§ 913(a)(2)). "Court facility" is defined in § 913(f) as the courtroom of a court of record, a community court, a magisterial district judge, the Philadelphia Municipal Court, the Pittsburgh Magistrates Court, or the Traffic Court of Philadelphia; judge's chambers; witness rooms; jury deliberation rooms; attorney conference rooms; prisoner holding cells; and the offices of court clerks, the district attorney, the sheriff, probation, and parole, plus any adjoining corridors.

The Philadelphia Police Department's public summary captures the practical scope: courthouses, magisterial district judges' offices, other court facilities, judges' chambers, witness rooms, jury deliberation rooms, attorney conference rooms, prisoner holding cells, and adjoining hallways are covered, and offices of the clerk of courts, district attorney, sheriff, and probation department are also covered.

Section 913(c) requires a notice posted at each public entrance stating the prohibition and explaining that lockers are available at no charge. Section 913(d) requires the sheriff or designated person in charge of court security to provide secure storage. Most Pennsylvania county courthouses provide gun lockers at the security checkpoint. If you are carrying when you arrive at a courthouse, do not enter the secured area: return to your vehicle and leave the firearm there, or use the courthouse's surrender locker before clearing security.

An LTCF is not a defense to § 913. The statute has narrow defenses for sheriffs, deputies, court personnel, peace officers performing official duties, and active military or National Guard performing official duties. There is no general LTCF carve-out. A licensed carrier who walks into a court facility with a firearm faces the same misdemeanor charge as an unlicensed carrier.

The penalty is a misdemeanor, not a felony: simple knowing possession under § 913(a)(1) is a misdemeanor of the third degree (up to one year and a $2,500 fine), and possession with intent to use the weapon in a crime under § 913(a)(2) is a misdemeanor of the first degree. Because a third-degree misdemeanor is punishable by no more than one year, that base offense is not a § 6105 lifetime disqualifier or a federal § 922(g)(1) prohibitor. Even so, an arrest, prosecution, and forfeiture of the firearm are real consequences of a lapse at a courthouse metal detector, so treat any court facility as strictly off-limits.

Magisterial district judge offices

The reach to "magisterial district judges' offices" is the most overlooked piece of § 913. MDJ offices are scattered through every county, often in strip malls, municipal buildings, or stand-alone storefronts. They look nothing like a courthouse. They are still "court facilities" under § 913(f). Treat any MDJ office as a courthouse for carry purposes.

Philadelphia: 18 Pa.C.S. § 6108 and the Sumpter unsettlement

Section 6108 is the only statewide statute that singles out a specific city. It says: "No person shall carry a firearm, rifle or shotgun at any time upon the public streets or upon any public property in a city of the first class unless: (1) such person is licensed to carry a firearm; or (2) such person is exempt from licensing under section 6106(b)."

Pennsylvania has one city of the first class. That is Philadelphia. § 6108 has no effect anywhere else. Inside Philadelphia, it is the operative rule for both open and concealed carry on public streets and public property. An LTCF satisfies the licensing requirement. A § 6106(b) statutory exception (law enforcement, military on duty, transport in a secure wrapper, hunting with a sportsman's permit, and the other enumerated categories) also satisfies it.

A § 6108 violation is a misdemeanor of the first degree at baseline and can support a separate § 6106 felony charge if the carry is concealed.

On June 23, 2025, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania declared § 6108 unconstitutional as applied in Commonwealth v. Sumpter, 340 A.3d 977 (Pa. Super. 2025). The decision is "as applied," not facial. It does not strike § 6108 from the statute books. The General Assembly has not amended or repealed § 6108. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has not yet weighed in. Practical guidance: treat Philadelphia as requiring an LTCF for any handgun carry on public streets or public property in the city. Do not advise students to rely on Sumpter as a defense to a § 6108 charge. Confirm the current status with the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office and current case law before any change in posture. If you are an LTCF holder, your license is valid in Philadelphia exactly as it is anywhere else in the Commonwealth.

Detention and corrections

Two statutes restrict carry at jails, prisons, mental hospitals, and similar institutions. 18 Pa.C.S. § 5122 (escape contraband) prohibits any person from intentionally and knowingly providing a "weapon or other thing useful for escape" to an inmate of a detention facility, mental institution, or other facility whose chief administrator has prohibited weapons. The base offense is a misdemeanor of the first degree; the felony grade for introducing a firearm as contraband onto correctional property is at 61 Pa.C.S. § 5902(e.1). 61 Pa.C.S. § 5902(e) restricts firearms on the lands and buildings appurtenant to any correctional institution, lands granted to or owned or leased by the Commonwealth for the use and benefit of inmates. Do not bring a firearm onto any state prison, county jail, juvenile detention facility, or state mental hospital property. The lobbies and visitor entrances are part of the restricted zone, not just the secure interior.

Federal off-limits places

State law cannot override federal property rules. The categories that matter for daily carry in Pennsylvania:

• Federal facilities under 18 U.S.C. § 930. Federal buildings, IRS offices, Social Security offices, federal agency headquarters. § 930(a) is a misdemeanor; § 930(e) for federal courthouses is the felony tier.
• Federal courthouses under 18 U.S.C. § 930(e). Strict prohibition with limited exceptions.
• U.S. Postal Service property. Buildings and parking lots are governed by USPS regulations. Federal courts of appeals have split on the postal-lot rule, and the safe assumption is that the lot is also off-limits. Locking your firearm in your vehicle at a post office is not a clear safe harbor.
• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs facilities. VA hospitals, clinics, regional offices, and national cemeteries are off-limits under VA regulations.
• Military installations. Posts, bases, and recruiting stations under federal regulations and DOD policy.
• Secure (sterile) areas of airports under federal aviation security law. The check-in lobby is not the sterile area; the security checkpoint marks the boundary.
• National parks within Pennsylvania. Federal law since 2010 generally allows carry to the extent the law of the state where the park sits allows it, but federal facilities within the park (visitor centers, ranger stations) are still federal facilities under § 930.

When in doubt at a federal property, look for the posted notice required by federal law. Federal facility signs are usually black on white, posted at the entrance, and reference 18 U.S.C. § 930.

State agency lands and buildings

Pennsylvania state agencies have published rules under the Administrative Code that touch firearms on the property they manage. The Pennsylvania State Police and Philadelphia Police Department guidance compile the operative rules:

• State parks (17 Pa. Code § 11.215). A person possessing a valid LTCF may carry a concealed firearm in a state park. Open carry of a handgun in a state park is generally not permitted under DCNR rules.
• State forests (17 Pa. Code § 21.107). "Using" a firearm is prohibited in state forests except in accordance with the Game and Wildlife Code or while target shooting at a DCNR-authorized location. Possession by a licensee or hunter is generally lawful; discharge is the regulated activity.
• PA Fish and Boat Commission property (58 Pa. Code § 53.7). Firearms are restricted on Fish and Boat Commission lands except when the person possesses a valid LTCF or is engaged in lawful hunting and trapping.
• Buildings owned or leased by the Department of State (49 Pa. Code § 61.3). No firearms in Department of State buildings.
• State Capitol complex. Carry inside the Capitol building is restricted by Capitol Police rules.

These agency rules are not enforced as Title 18 firearm offenses the way § 912, § 913, or § 6108 are. A violation is typically charged under regulatory enforcement provisions or under defiant trespass (§ 3503(b)) once the carrier is asked to leave. Treat them as off-limits in practice.

Posted private property: § 3503(b) defiant trespass

Pennsylvania has no statute that gives a "no firearms" sign on private property the force of a Title 18 firearm offense. There is no § 6106 exposure for crossing a "no guns" decal at the entrance to a restaurant, hospital, mall, or other private business. The Pennsylvania State Police firearms guidance and the Philadelphia Police Department gun permits unit both confirm the framework: the carry itself is not a § 6106 problem; the trespass after a refusal to leave is.

The mechanism is 18 Pa.C.S. § 3503(b). A person commits defiant trespass if, knowing that they are not licensed or privileged to do so, they enter or remain in any place as to which notice against trespass is given by (i) actual communication to the actor, (ii) posting in a manner prescribed by law or reasonably likely to come to the attention of intruders, or (iii) fencing or other enclosure manifestly designed to exclude intruders. § 3503(b)(2) makes the offense a misdemeanor of the third degree if the offender defies an order to leave personally communicated by the owner or another authorized person.

What this means in practice for licensees:

• A "no firearms" sign on a business does not, by itself, create a criminal carry offense. A licensee who walks past it is not committing § 6106 or any other firearm offense.
• The licensee is on notice that they are not privileged to be there with a firearm. If the property owner or a person authorized by the owner asks them to leave because of the firearm, refusing creates the § 3503(b) misdemeanor.
• Comply with the request. Leave when asked. A licensee who is asked to leave and complies has not committed a crime. A licensee who argues, refuses, or attempts to assert a right to remain has converted a noncriminal posture into a misdemeanor.
• Verbal communication is enough. The owner does not need a posted sign. The cleanest path is for the carrier to disarm or leave at the first request.

The same framework applies to private residences. A homeowner can prohibit firearms in their home. A guest who refuses to disarm or leave when asked commits defiant trespass.

Universities and colleges

Pennsylvania has no statewide statute that restricts carry on college and university campuses the way § 912 restricts K-12 schools. The Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and individual institutions have generally adopted policies prohibiting firearms on campus, but those policies are enforced through trespass and student-conduct mechanisms, not through Title 18 firearm offenses.

Practical analysis for a licensee on a Pennsylvania campus:

• State preemption (§ 6120) limits municipal regulation. A local borough or township cannot create its own campus carry rule.
• Public university policies are enforced as administrative rules. A licensed carrier who violates a State System university's firearm policy generally faces a trespass warning and removal, with potential § 3503(b) defiant-trespass exposure for refusing to leave.
• Private college policies are treated as private property rules under the same § 3503(b) framework.
• K-12 partnerships on campus are governed by the K-12 rule. A satellite or partnership location operating as a K-12 school is a § 912 school.
• Campus daycare and preschool programs are not § 912 schools, because § 912 reaches kindergarten through grade 12. They may still be governed by university policy and private property rules.

Pennsylvania does not have a statutory analog to the New York post-Bruen "sensitive places" law and has not created a special "campus carry" rule. The default for licensees on a college campus is the same as anywhere else in Pennsylvania: state law allows the carry, and the institution's posture is enforced through property and administrative rules.

State preemption and what it does not reach

Pennsylvania's preemption statute, 18 Pa.C.S. § 6120, sharply limits municipal authority to regulate firearms. § 6120(a) provides that "no county, municipality or township may in any manner regulate the lawful ownership, possession, transfer or transportation of firearms, ammunition or ammunition components when carried or transported for purposes not prohibited by the laws of this Commonwealth."

Two consequences for prohibited places:

1. Local "no carry" ordinances are preempted. Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and other municipalities have repeatedly attempted to enact local restrictions on carry, transport, or possession on public property. Pennsylvania appellate courts have struck them down on § 6120 preemption grounds.
2. § 6120 does not displace state-level location restrictions. The school, court, Philadelphia, and federal rules survive preemption analysis because they are themselves state or federal law.

The 2014 amendments at § 6120(a.2) and (a.3) that created private rights of action for preemption violations were declared unconstitutional in Leach v. Commonwealth, 141 A.3d 426 (Pa. 2016). The substantive preemption rule survives. The 2014 enforcement mechanism does not.

Penalties, in plain language

• § 912 (school): Misdemeanor of the first degree. Up to 5 years and a $10,000 fine. The § 912(c) defense is narrow. The LTCF is not a defense.
• § 913 (court facility): Misdemeanor of the third degree for simple possession (up to 1 year, $2,500 fine); misdemeanor of the first degree if the weapon is possessed with intent to use it in a crime (§ 913(a)(2)). The base offense is not a § 6105 or federal § 922(g)(1) lifetime prohibitor. The LTCF is not a defense.
• § 6108 (Philadelphia): Misdemeanor of the first degree at baseline; supports a § 6106 felony charge if the carry is concealed. The LTCF is the affirmative defense.
• § 5122 (detention contraband): Misdemeanor of the first degree (the felony grade for firearm contraband on correctional property is at 61 Pa.C.S. § 5902(e.1)).
• § 3503(b) (defiant trespass): Misdemeanor of the third degree if the offender defies a personally communicated order to leave; otherwise a summary offense.
• 18 U.S.C. § 930 (federal facility): Federal misdemeanor at baseline; federal felony for the courthouse rule under § 930(e), or for possession with intent to use a firearm in any federal facility.
• 18 U.S.C. § 922(q) (federal school zone): Federal misdemeanor punishable by up to 5 years.
• State agency regulations (parks, forests, Fish and Boat, Department of State): Civil and regulatory enforcement at first contact, with defiant-trespass exposure under § 3503(b) if the carrier refuses to leave when asked.

Pennsylvania state law treats most prohibited-place violations either as standalone Title 18 firearm offenses (schools, courts, detention, Philadelphia) or as private property exclusion problems run through § 3503(b). Federal law is where the bulk of the federal-property criminal exposure lives.

The licensee's edge

A Pennsylvania LTCF removes several categories of legal exposure that an unlicensed carrier faces:

1. Federal Gun-Free School Zones Act exemption. The 1,000-foot zone around every K-12 school in Pennsylvania disappears for an LTCF holder under 18 U.S.C. § 922(q)(2)(B)(ii).
2. Philadelphia carry under § 6108. The LTCF is the affirmative defense to a § 6108 charge inside Philadelphia regardless of the Sumpter litigation status.
3. Vehicle carry under § 6106(a). The LTCF is the affirmative defense to the felony of carrying a firearm in any vehicle in Pennsylvania.
4. State park, state forest, and Fish and Boat Commission property. The LTCF satisfies the carry condition under several agency rules that otherwise require a qualifying activity (hunting, trapping, target shooting at an authorized location) for an unlicensed person.

Pennsylvania does not have permitless concealed carry. The LTCF is the operative document, and the prohibited-places framework is built around it.