Pre-trip check · NJ → PA
Driving from New Jersey to Pennsylvania?
The law changes the moment you cross the line — what's legal to carry, light, or do in New Jersey can be a violation in Pennsylvania. Every status below is live from LawLert's database, dated, and linked to its official source.
Laws change at the state line.The free LawLert iPhone app alerts you when you cross into a state where a law you track differs: firearms, cannabis, alcohol, fireworks and 9 more. No account.Get the appWhat changes for you (8)
Suppressors are legal in Pennsylvania once you register them with the federal government. Under 18 Pa.C.S. 908 a silent-discharge firearm is an "offensive weapon," but 908(b)(1) makes compliance with the National…
Full Pennsylvania rule · Official source · verified Jul 18, 2026
In Pennsylvania, consumer fireworks may be used year-round, but municipalities may restrict use between 10 p.m. and 10 a.m. — except on July 2, 3 and 4 and on December 31 (when use is allowed until 1 a.m.), and on…
Full Pennsylvania rule · Official source · verified May 31, 2026
In Pennsylvania, possession is illegal without a medical card, and unauthorized possession of a small amount is a misdemeanor. Registered patients may possess medical marijuana from licensed dispensaries, up to a 90-day…
Full Pennsylvania rule · Official source · verified May 31, 2026
Pennsylvania allows camera enforcement only in limited settings: work-zone speed cameras statewide (75 Pa.C.S. 3369) and automated speed enforcement on specified Philadelphia corridors. There is no general statewide use.
Full Pennsylvania rule · Official source · verified Jun 18, 2026
57.6 cents/gallon state tax for 2026 (oil-company franchise tax + excise) — the highest state gas tax in the nation; excludes the 18.4c federal tax.
Full Pennsylvania rule · Official source · verified May 31, 2026
Open burning of debris is regulated locally; counties and the Governor can impose burn bans (county bans last up to 30 days, extendable). Propane/gas stoves, charcoal grills, and tobacco are exempt from county bans.…
Full Pennsylvania rule · Official source · verified Jun 18, 2026
PA has no statewide blade-length limit or concealed-knife ban; only 'offensive weapons' under 18 Pa.C.S. 908 (which no longer includes ordinary or automatic knives) are prohibited.
Full Pennsylvania rule · Official source · verified Jul 7, 2026
In Pennsylvania, last call is 2 a.m. statewide, though private clubs can serve until 3 a.m.
Full Pennsylvania rule · Official source · verified Aug 2, 2026
Same status
Matching status ≠ identical law — details, limits and penalties can still differ.
Carrying with a permit? Whether New Jersey permits are honored in Pennsylvania is its own map — check Pennsylvania concealed-carry reciprocity. And federal land (national parks, forests) plays by federal rules in both states — see the federal-land guide.
Also from New Jersey: NJ → DE · NJ → NY · reverse (PA → NJ)
New Jersey to Pennsylvania: common questions
- Do the laws change when you drive from New Jersey to Pennsylvania?
- Yes — 8 of the 13 categories LawLert tracks have a different status in Pennsylvania than in New Jersey: firearms, fireworks, cannabis, driving, taxes, burn bans, knives, alcohol. Each is listed on this page with its current status, the official source it came from, and the date it was last verified.
- What are the firearms laws in Pennsylvania if I'm coming from New Jersey?
- Pennsylvania: Conditional — Suppressors are legal in Pennsylvania once you register them with the federal government. Under 18 Pa.C.S. 908 a silent-discharge firearm is an "offensive weapon," but 908(b)(1) makes compliance with the National… In New Jersey the same category is Restricted.
- What are the fireworks laws in Pennsylvania if I'm coming from New Jersey?
- Pennsylvania: Conditional — In Pennsylvania, consumer fireworks may be used year-round, but municipalities may restrict use between 10 p.m. and 10 a.m. — except on July 2, 3 and 4 and on December 31 (when use is allowed until 1 a.m.), and on… In New Jersey the same category is Info.
- What are the cannabis laws in Pennsylvania if I'm coming from New Jersey?
- Pennsylvania: Conditional — In Pennsylvania, possession is illegal without a medical card, and unauthorized possession of a small amount is a misdemeanor. Registered patients may possess medical marijuana from licensed dispensaries, up to a 90-day… In New Jersey the same category is Permitted.
- Is my New Jersey concealed carry permit honored in Pennsylvania?
- Permit reciprocity is decided separately from the firearms status shown on this page, so it is not answered here. LawLert publishes Pennsylvania's recognition list, with the statute or agency page behind it, at lawlertapp.com/firearms/PA/reciprocity. Permitless carry, where a state allows it, is a different question again — it does not make an out-of-state permit valid.
- How current is this New Jersey to Pennsylvania comparison?
- Every rule on this page stores the date it was last checked against its source; the oldest on this comparison is 2026-05-31. Every rule LawLert publishes carries a source URL, and every correction it has made is public at lawlertapp.com/how-we-verify. Laws change — confirm anything consequential against the linked source.