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PA

Pennsylvania

Visitors register only after a month or more, or never.

Visitors register after30+ days or never

Pennsylvania sets no tourist day-count; a short visit alone does not trigger registration. Registration attaches through residence of 30 or more consecutive days in a calendar year, transient status, employment or volunteering over four days in seven or 14 days a year, or school enrollment. Registrants already registered elsewhere who are away from their residence seven or more days must report temporary lodging under their own state's rules.

Registering as a visitor

When it's required
After 30 days.
Deadline
Deadline not verified; Pennsylvania generally uses a three-business-day standard for establishing residence, employment, or school enrollment, but §§ 9799.19 and 9799.15 were not read. Registration is done in person at an approved Pennsylvania State Police registration site.
Where
Pennsylvania State Police approved registration site
Also required if
  • Transient: residing in Pennsylvania in a temporary habitat or place of abode with no residence (no day count)
  • Employment (including self-employment, volunteer and uncompensated work) exceeding four days in a seven-day period or an aggregate exceeding 14 days in a calendar year
  • Enrollment or attendance as a student, full- or part-time, at a Pennsylvania educational institution
  • Transfer of supervision into Pennsylvania under the Interstate Compact for Adult Supervision
  • Already required to register in another jurisdiction or foreign country plus Pennsylvania residence, transient status, employment, or student status

Public registry

The law doesn't clearly say whether visitors appear on the public registry.

42 Pa.C.S. § 9799.28 governs the public website but was not read. § 9799.16 requires collecting temporary-lodging dates, passport/immigration documents, and transient mailing addresses, but whether these are published, and how quickly non-residents drop off, was not verified.

Places registrants can't go

  • Statewide (schools, parks, playgrounds, day care, libraries, Halloween)No statewide presence or residency restriction was found in Chapter 97, which is a registration and notification scheme only; this was not verified against a specific statute. Fross v. County of Allegheny (Pa. 2011) reportedly preempted local residency ordinances, but the opinion was not read.Applies to: all registrants
  • Conditions of supervisionProbation and parole conditions may impose no-contact, school/park loitering, and Halloween restrictions; these follow a person under the Interstate Compact and require travel permission.Applies to: registrants under supervision

Laws cited

Last checked September 19, 2026 · full review September 19, 2026

Research notes

Only §§ 9799.12 and 9799.13 were read in full; § 9799.16 partially. §§ 9799.15, 9799.19, 9799.25, 9799.28 and all of Subchapter I (offenses 4/22/1996–12/19/2012) were not read. Which subchapter applies turns on offense date. Official text of §§ 9799.12 and 9799.13 carries notes that they were declared unconstitutional as applied in Commonwealth v. Santana (Pa. 2021) and Commonwealth v. Lippincott (Pa. Super. 2019), relevant to out-of-state convictions predating the statute. Deadlines, public-website rules, and absence of presence restrictions are unverified.

Common questions

Do registered sex offenders have to register when visiting Pennsylvania?

Visitors must register after 30 days. Deadline not verified; Pennsylvania generally uses a three-business-day standard for establishing residence, employment, or school enrollment, but §§ 9799.19 and 9799.15 were not read. Registration is done in person at an approved Pennsylvania State Police registration site.

Will a visiting registrant appear on Pennsylvania's public registry?

Pennsylvania's law doesn't clearly say whether visitors appear on the public registry.

Are there places registrants can't go in Pennsylvania?

The state restricts registrants from: statewide (schools, parks, playgrounds, day care, libraries, halloween); conditions of supervision. Details and who they apply to are listed on this page.

General information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules may add requirements. Confirm with the state registry agency or an attorney before you travel.