Disorderly Conduct
18 Pa.C.S. 5503 — fighting, unreasonable noise, obscene language, a hazardous condition
In Pennsylvania, a person commits disorderly conduct if, intending to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, or recklessly creating a risk of it, the person engages in fighting, threatening, or violent or tumultuous behavior; makes unreasonable noise; uses obscene language or makes an obscene gesture; or creates a hazardous or physically offensive condition by an act that serves no legitimate purpose.
| The situation | The grade |
|---|---|
| The situationIntending substantial harm or serious inconvenience, or persisting after a reasonable warning or request to stop | The gradeMisdemeanor of the third degree |
| The situationOtherwise | The gradeA summary offense |
Public means affecting or likely to affect people in a place the public or a substantial group can reach, including highways, transport, schools, apartment houses, businesses, any neighborhood, and premises open to the public.
Where three or more people are engaged in disorderly conduct likely to cause substantial harm or serious inconvenience, an officer may order them and those nearby to disperse, and refusing or knowingly failing to obey is a misdemeanor of the second degree.
Sources for this section (2)
- 18 Pa.C.S. 5503 — Disorderly conduct
- 18 Pa.C.S. 5502 — Failure of disorderly persons to disperse upon official order
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Pennsylvania attorney.