Pennsylvania Act 13 — Oil & Gas Operational Preemption (58 Pa.C.S. §3303) (PA)
Tracked preemption from the Pennsylvania overlay bundle.
Overview
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Effective
2012-02-14
Sunset
—
Authority
state
Scope
state:PA
Other Pennsylvania preemptions
Chesapeake Bay Watershed — Riparian Buffer & E&S Control (25 Pa. Code Ch. 102)Pennsylvania Natural Diversity Inventory (PNDI) Environmental ReviewMPC §503(1.1) — Manufactured / Industrialized Housing PreemptionPennsylvania Uniform Construction Code (UCC) — Building Code PreemptionFirearms — Local Regulation Preemption (18 Pa.C.S. §6120)Pennsylvania History Code — State Historic Preservation Review (Pa.C.S. Title 37)Pennsylvania Agricultural Area Security Law — Agricultural Security Areas (Act 43 / Act 38 of 2005)Pennsylvania Coastal Zone Management Program — Lake Erie & Delaware Estuary
Trigger predicate
When this evaluates true for a parcel, the law's preempted fields take precedence over base zoning.
AND
city.is_in_marcellus_utica_footprint==Trueproject.use_type==oil_gas_operation
Preempted fields
2 fields on the base district schema are rewritten when the trigger fires.
| Field | Op | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
review_type | require | dep_oil_gas_permit | Surviving §3303 preempts local regulation of the TECHNICAL/OPERATIONAL aspects of oil and gas operations — well construction, casing, pressure testing, safety. Those are Commonwealth/DEP-regulated. |
base_districts[*].allowed_uses | preserve_location_zoning | oil_gas_surface_facility | Municipalities RETAIN zoning authority over location, setbacks, and compatibility of surface facilities (well pads, compressor stations, processing plants). Robinson Township v. Commonwealth, 83 A.3d 901 (Pa. 2013) struck down former §3304 (which had required permitting oil & gas in every zoning district) under the Environmental Rights Amendment, Pa. Const. Art. I §27. Reaffirmed in Robinson Township II, 147 A.3d 536 (Pa. 2016). |
Citation
Authority source
Pennsylvania Act 13 of 2012, Act of Feb. 14, 2012, P.L. 87, codified at 58 Pa.C.S. §§2301–3504; preemption clause: 58 Pa.C.S. §3303 (former §3304 stricken under Robinson Township)
§ 58 Pa.C.S. §3303 (operational preemption surviving Robinson Township)
Research notes
Marcellus/Utica footprint = SW PA (Washington, Greene, Fayette, Westmoreland, Allegheny suburbs) and NE PA tier (Bradford, Susquehanna, Wyoming, Lycoming, Tioga). Local Oil & Gas Overlays adopted under MPC authority remain valid post-Robinson if Art. I §27 balancing supports compatibility findings.