Title 18, CRIMES AND OFFENSES

(a) Payment for abortion.--Except in the case of a pregnancy which is not yet clinically diagnosable, any person who intends to perform or induce abortion shall, before accepting payment therefor, make or obtain a determination that the woman is pregnant. Any person who intention…

(a) General rule.--For the purpose of promotion of maternal health and life by adding to the sum of medical and public health knowledge through the compilation of relevant data, and to promote the Commonwealth's interest in protection of the unborn child, a report of each abortio…

(a) Limitations.--No hospital, clinic or other health facility owned or operated by the Commonwealth, a county, a city or other governmental entity (except the government of the United States, another state or a foreign nation) shall: (1) Provide, induce, perform or permit its fa…

(a) Unborn or live child.--Any person who knowingly performs any type of nontherapeutic experimentation or nontherapeutic medical procedure (except an abortion as defined in this chapter) upon any unborn child, or upon any child born alive during the course of an abortion, commit…

Any physician who knowingly violates any of the provisions of section 3204 (relating to medical consultation and judgment) or 3205 (relating to informed consent) shall, in addition to any other penalty prescribed in this chapter, be civilly liable to his patient for any damages c…

(a) Application of chapter.--Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, no criminal penalty shall apply to a woman who violates any provision of this chapter solely in order to perform or induce or attempt to perform or induce an abortion upon herself. Nor shall any wom…

(a) Enforcement.--It shall be the duty of the State Board of Medicine and the State Board of Osteopathic Medicine to vigorously enforce those provisions of this chapter, violation of which constitutes "unprofessional conduct" within the meaning of the act of October 5, 1978 (P.L.…

(a) Referral to coroner.--The provisions of section 503(3) of the act of June 29, 1953 (P.L.304, No.66), known as the "Vital Statistics Law of 1953," shall not be construed to require referral to the coroner of cases of abortions performed in compliance with this chapter. (b) Oth…

(a) Arson endangering persons.-- (1) A person commits a felony of the first degree if he intentionally starts a fire or causes an explosion, or if he aids, counsels, pays or agrees to pay another to cause a fire or explosion, whether on his own property or on that of another, and…

(a) Causing catastrophe.--A person who causes a catastrophe by explosion, fire, flood, avalanche, collapse of building, release of poison gas, radioactive material or other harmful or destructive force or substance, or by any other means of causing potentially widespread injury o…

A person who knowingly or recklessly fails to take reasonable measures to prevent or mitigate a catastrophe, when he can do so without substantial risk to himself, commits a misdemeanor of the second degree if: (1) he knows that he is under an official, contractual or other legal…

(a) Offense defined.--A person is guilty of criminal mischief if he: (1) damages tangible property of another intentionally, recklessly, or by negligence in the employment of fire, explosives, or other dangerous means listed in section 3302(a) of this title (relating to causing o…

Whoever willfully and maliciously cuts, injures, damages, or destroys or defaces any fire hydrant or any fire hose or fire engine, or other public or private fire equipment, or any apparatus appertaining to the same, commits a misdemeanor of the third degree. (Nov. 28, 1973, P.L.…

Whoever opens for private usage any fire hydrant without authorization of the water authority or company having jurisdiction over such fire hydrant, commits a summary offense. (Nov. 28, 1973, P.L.370, No.131) 1973 Amendment. Act 131 added section 3306.

(a) Offenses defined.--A person commits the offense of institutional vandalism if he knowingly desecrates, as defined in section 5509 (relating to desecration or sale of venerated objects), vandalizes, defaces or otherwise damages: (1) any church, synagogue or other facility or p…

(a) General rule.--Any person convicted under section 2506 (relating to arson murder) or 3301 (relating to arson and related offenses) where any consideration was paid or payable, in addition to any sentence of imprisonment, shall be fined an amount double the amount of the consi…

(a) Offense defined.--A person commits the offense of agricultural vandalism if he intentionally or recklessly defaces, marks or otherwise damages the real or tangible personal property of another, where the property defaced, marked or otherwise damaged is used in agricultural ac…

(a) Offenses defined.--A person commits a felony of the second degree if he intentionally and knowingly damages any field crop, vegetable or fruit plant or tree that is grown, stored or raised for scientific or commercial purposes or for any testing or research purpose in conjunc…

(a) General rule.--A person is guilty of ecoterrorism if the person commits a specified offense against property intending to do any of the following: (1) Intimidate or coerce an individual lawfully: (i) participating in an activity involving animals, plants or an activity involv…

(a) Offense defined.-- (1) A person commits a summary offense if he intentionally cuts, injures, damages, destroys, defaces or removes any survey monument or marker, other than a natural object such as a tree or stream. (2) A person commits a misdemeanor of the second degree if h…

(a) Offense defined.--A person commits a felony of the third degree if he intentionally, knowingly or recklessly deposits, stores or disposes on any property a precursor or reagent substance, chemical waste or debris, resulting from or used in the manufacture of methamphetamine o…

Subject to additional definitions contained in subsequent provisions of this chapter which are applicable to specific provisions of this chapter, the following words or phrases when used in this chapter shall have, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the meanings give…

(a) Offense defined.--A person commits the offense of burglary if, with the intent to commit a crime therein, the person: (1) (i) enters a building or occupied structure, or separately secured or occupied portion thereof, that is adapted for overnight accommodations in which at t…

(a) Buildings and occupied structures.-- (1) A person commits an offense if, knowing that he is not licensed or privileged to do so, he: (i) enters, gains entry by subterfuge or surreptitiously remains in any building or occupied structure or separately secured or occupied portio…

(a) Damage to railroad or delay of railroad operations.-- (1) A person commits an offense if, without lawful authority or the railroad carrier's consent, he causes damage to property that he knows or reasonably should have known to be railroad property, including the railroad rig…

(a) Offense defined.--A person commits the offense of unlawful use of unmanned aircraft if the person uses an unmanned aircraft intentionally or knowingly to: (1) Conduct surveillance of another person in a private place. (2) Operate in a manner which places another person in rea…

(a) Offense defined.-- (1) A person is guilty of robbery if, in the course of committing a theft, he: (i) inflicts serious bodily injury upon another; (ii) threatens another with or intentionally puts him in fear of immediate serious bodily injury; (iii) commits or threatens imme…

(a) Offense defined.--A person commits a felony of the first degree if he steals or takes a motor vehicle from another person in the presence of that person or any other person in lawful possession of the motor vehicle. (b) Sentencing.--The Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing, …

Subject to additional definitions contained in subsequent provisions of this chapter which are applicable to specific provisions of this chapter, the following words and phrases when used in this chapter shall have, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the meanings giv…

Conduct denominated theft in this chapter constitutes a single offense. An accusation of theft may be supported by evidence that it was committed in any manner that would be theft under this chapter, notwithstanding the specification of a different manner in the complaint or indi…

(a) Felony of the second degree.--Theft constitutes a felony of the second degree if: (1) The offense is committed during a manmade disaster, a natural disaster or a war-caused disaster and constitutes a violation of section 3921 (relating to theft by unlawful taking or dispositi…

A law enforcement officer shall have the same right of arrest without a warrant for any grade of theft as exists or may hereafter exist in the case of the commission of a felony. (Oct. 17, 1974, P.L.749, No.251) 1974 Amendment. Act 251 added section 3904.

(a) Movable property.--A person is guilty of theft if he unlawfully takes, or exercises unlawful control over, movable property of another with intent to deprive him thereof. (b) Immovable property.--A person is guilty of theft if he unlawfully transfers, or exercises unlawful co…

(a) Offense defined.--A person is guilty of theft if he intentionally obtains or withholds property of another by deception. A person deceives if he intentionally: (1) creates or reinforces a false impression, including false impressions as to law, value, intention or other state…

(a) Offense defined.--A person in a position of trust who commits the offense of financial exploitation of an older adult or care-dependent person shall be subject to the criminal penalties specified under subsection (b). (b) Grading.--Financial exploitation of an older adult or …

(a) Offense defined.--A person is guilty of theft if he intentionally obtains or withholds property of another by threatening to: (1) commit another criminal offense; (2) accuse anyone of a criminal offense; (3) expose any secret tending to subject any person to hatred, contempt …

A person who comes into control of property of another that he knows to have been lost, mislaid, or delivered under a mistake as to the nature or amount of the property or the identity of the recipient is guilty of theft if, with intent to deprive the owner thereof, he fails to t…

(a) Offense defined.--A person is guilty of theft if he intentionally receives, retains, or disposes of movable property of another knowing that it has been stolen, or believing that it has probably been stolen, unless the property is received, retained, or disposed with intent t…

(a) Acquisition of services.-- (1) A person is guilty of theft if he intentionally obtains services for himself or for another which he knows are available only for compensation, by deception or threat, by altering or tampering with the public utility meter or measuring device by…

(a) Offense defined.--A person who obtains property upon agreement, or subject to a known legal obligation, to make specified payments or other disposition, whether from such property or its proceeds or from his own property to be reserved in equivalent amount, is guilty of theft…

(a) Offense defined.--A person is guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree if he operates the automobile, airplane, motorcycle, motorboat, or other motor-propelled vehicle of another without consent of the owner. (b) Defense.--It is a defense to prosecution under this section…

(a) Offense defined.--A person is guilty of a retail theft if he: (1) takes possession of, carries away, transfers or causes to be carried away or transferred, any merchandise displayed, held, stored or offered for sale by any store or other retail mercantile establishment with t…

(a) Offense defined.--A person is guilty of library theft if he willfully conceals on his person or among his belongings any library or museum material while still on the premises of a library or willfully and without authority removes any library or museum material from a librar…

(a) Offense.--A person commits a misdemeanor of the first degree if he knowingly possesses, manufactures, sells, offers for sale or distributes in any way a theft detection shielding device or a theft detection deactivation device. (b) Definitions.--As used in this section, the f…

(a) Offense defined.--A person commits organized retail theft if the person organizes, coordinates, controls, supervises, finances or manages any of the activities of an organized retail theft enterprise. (b) Grading.-- (1) If the retail value of the stolen merchandise in the pos…

(a) Felony of the second degree.--A person is guilty of a felony of the second degree if he: (1) by force or violence or by putting him in fear takes from the person of another any article representing a trade secret; (2) willfully and maliciously enters any building or other str…