Firearms — Local Regulation Preemption (18 Pa.C.S. §6120) (PA)
Tracked preemption from the Pennsylvania overlay bundle.
Overview
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Effective
1995-10-11
Sunset
—
Authority
state
Scope
state:PA
Other Pennsylvania preemptions
Pennsylvania Act 13 — Oil & Gas Operational Preemption (58 Pa.C.S. §3303)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 PreemptionPennsylvania 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.
project.use_type ∈ {gun_store, firing_range, ffl_dealer}Preempted fields
1 field on the base district schema is rewritten when the trigger fires.
| Field | Op | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
base_districts[*].allowed_uses | constrain | firearms_uses_only_regulable_via_general_commercial_zoning | Municipalities may not regulate the lawful ownership, possession, transfer, or transportation of firearms or ammunition. Zoning may regulate firearms-related uses (gun stores, ranges, FFL dealers) only through generally applicable commercial/industrial use regulations — no targeted or differential treatment vs. comparable commercial uses. |
Citation
Authority source
18 Pa.C.S. §6120 (Limitation on the regulation of firearms and ammunition)
§ 18 Pa.C.S. §6120(a)
Research notes
Applies statewide including Philadelphia (Ortiz v. Commonwealth, 681 A.2d 152 (Pa. 1996) confirmed §6120 preempts Philadelphia and other home-rule cities). Targeted zoning of firearms-related uses (e.g., 1,000-ft school setback unique to gun stores) is vulnerable; general commercial zoning that incidentally applies is permissible. Federal Firearms License (FFL) holders are licensed by ATF — local zoning addresses use compatibility, not licensing.