18 Pa.C.S. § 5503: Disorderly conduct.
Where this section sits in the code
- Title 18 - CRIMES AND OFFENSES
- PART II DEFINITION OF SPECIFIC OFFENSES
- ARTICLE F OFFENSES AGAINST PUBLIC ORDER AND DECENCY
- CHAPTER 55 RIOT, DISORDERLY CONDUCT AND RELATED OFFENSES
- SUBCHAPTER A DEFINITION OF OFFENSES GENERALLY
(a) Offense defined.--A person is guilty of disorderly conduct if, with intent to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, or recklessly creating a risk thereof, he:
(1) engages in fighting or threatening, or in violent or tumultuous behavior;
(2) makes unreasonable noise;
(3) uses obscene language, or makes an obscene gesture; or
(4) creates a hazardous or physically offensive condition by any act which serves no legitimate purpose of the actor.
(b) Grading.--An offense under this section is a misdemeanor of the third degree if the intent of the actor is to cause substantial harm or serious inconvenience, or if he persists in disorderly conduct after reasonable warning or request to desist. Otherwise disorderly conduct is a summary offense.
(c) Definition.--As used in this section the word "public" means affecting or likely to affect persons in a place to which the public or a substantial group has access; among the places included are highways, transport facilities, schools, prisons, apartment houses, places of business or amusement, any neighborhood, or any premises which are open to the public.
Collected 2026-09-02T16:31:28Z. Source file · JSON