Pennsylvania Privacy, Guests & Animal Rules
Pennsylvania rules on privacy, guests & animals for renters and landlords, with the statute or official page behind each answer. Last verified: 2026-10-22.
Short answer: No landlord-specific statute. Viewing or recording a person without knowledge and consent, for sexual gratification, while the person is fully or partially nude in a place with a reasonable expectation of privacy (or recording intimate parts not intended to be publicly visible) is… 18 Pa.C.S. §§ 7507.1, 5703, 5704(4)
The rules in Pennsylvania
| Cameras & privacy | No landlord-specific statute. Viewing or recording a person without knowledge and consent, for sexual gratification, while the person is fully or partially nude in a place with a reasonable expectation of privacy (or recording intimate parts not intended to be publicly visible) is criminal invasion of privacy. Intercepting oral, wire or electronic communications is a third-degree felony unless all parties consent (two-party/all-party consent state). Audio recording by cameras inside or around a rental can violate the Wiretap Act without all parties' consent: https://www.palegis.us/statutes/consolidated/view-statute?txtType=PDF&ttl=18&div=0&chapter=57§ion=03&subsctn=0. Tenants also have an implied covenant of quiet enjoyment. |
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| Guests & occupants | In tenement buildings and multiple dwelling premises (three or more households), tenants have a non-waivable right to invite social guests, family or visitors for a reasonable period of time, and business visitors, tradesmen and deliverymen, as long as tenant obligations are observed; the landlord may not charge any fee or extra rent for exercising these rights. Tenants must not let persons on the premises with their permission willfully damage the property or disturb other tenants. No statewide occupancy limit or roommate statute. For smaller buildings, the lease governs guests and occupants. Local codes may set occupancy limits. |
| Service & support animals (state law) | The Pennsylvania Human Relations Act makes it unlawful to refuse to lease housing, or to discriminate in terms, because of disability or because of the use of a guide animal (blindness or deafness) or support animal (physical handicap), or because a person is a handler or trainer of guide or support animals; inquiries and records about such animal use in connection with a lease are restricted. Pennsylvania has no statute specifically on emotional support animal documentation, misrepresentation penalties or pet-fee limits. Emotional support animal requests are handled under the disability reasonable-accommodation rules of the federal Fair Housing Act and PHRA. |
Related questions
- Can a landlord put cameras in or around a rental?
- Can a landlord limit overnight guests or roommates?
- Can a landlord deny a service or emotional support animal?
Pennsylvania vs. neighboring states
| State | Cameras & privacy | Guests & occupants | Service & support animals (state law) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | No landlord-specific statute. Viewing or recording a person without knowledge and consent, for sexual gratification, while the person is fully or partially nude in a place with a reasonable expectation of privacy (or recording intimate parts not intended to be publicly visible) is criminal invasion of privacy. Intercepting oral, wire or electronic communications is a third-degree felony unless all parties consent (two-party/all-party consent state). 18 Pa.C.S. §§ 7507.1, 5703, 5704(4) | In tenement buildings and multiple dwelling premises (three or more households), tenants have a non-waivable right to invite social guests, family or visitors for a reasonable period of time, and business visitors, tradesmen and deliverymen, as long as tenant obligations are observed; the landlord may not charge any fee or extra rent for exercising these rights. Tenants must not let persons on the premises with their permission willfully damage the property or disturb other tenants. No statewide occupancy limit or roommate statute. 68 P.S. §§ 250.501-A, 250.503-A, 250.504-A | The Pennsylvania Human Relations Act makes it unlawful to refuse to lease housing, or to discriminate in terms, because of disability or because of the use of a guide animal (blindness or deafness) or support animal (physical handicap), or because a person is a handler or trainer of guide or support animals; inquiries and records about such animal use in connection with a lease are restricted. Pennsylvania has no statute specifically on emotional support animal documentation, misrepresentation penalties or pet-fee limits. 43 P.S. § 955(h)(1), (h)(6) (PHRA § 5(h)) |
| Delaware | No landlord-specific statute, but Delaware's privacy law applies directly: it is a crime to install, in any private place, a device for observing, photographing or recording sounds or events without the consent of the persons entitled to privacy there, or to use a device outside a private place to pick up sounds from inside that would not ordinarily be audible. Recording people undressing where they expect privacy, and intercepting private communications without consent, are also crimes. 11 Del. C. § 1335(a)(1)-(4), (6); 25 Del. C. § 5509 | No statute on guests versus tenants, occupancy limits or roommate rights — the lease governs. Tenants and their guests must behave so as not to unreasonably interfere with other tenants' peaceful enjoyment, and landlords may adopt reasonable written rules that meet statutory conditions. 25 Del. C. §§ 5511, 5512 | A landlord may require a pet deposit of up to one month's rent, but may not require any pet deposit for a certified and trained support animal for a disabled resident of the unit. A 'support animal' is defined as an animal individually trained to do work or tasks for a disabled person. Delaware has no state statute on emotional support animal documentation or misrepresentation penalties; reasonable-accommodation requests are governed by state and federal fair housing law. 25 Del. C. §§ 5514(i), 5141 (support animal) |
| Maryland | No landlord-specific statute, but strong criminal rules apply. A person may not place a camera on real property where a private residence is located to deliberately and secretly observe someone inside the residence. It is not a defense that the defendant owns the residence. Exceptions include cameras placed with an adult resident's consent and cameras without intent to secretly observe people inside. Violations are a misdemeanor (up to 1 year and/or $2,500) and give the person observed a civil claim for damages and attorney fees. Secret surveillance with prurient intent in a private place such as a bedroom or bathroom is separately a crime. Recording private conversations generally requires the consent of ALL parties. Md. Code, Crim. Law § 3-903; § 3-902; Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 10-402(c)(3) | No statute — the lease governs guests, occupancy limits and roommates. Maryland's landlord-tenant title doesn't define guest versus tenant or give roommate rights. Fair housing law bars discrimination based on familial status and marital status. Md. Code, Real Prop. Title 8, Subtitles 1-4 (checked); State Gov't § 20-705 | A person with a disability (or a parent of a minor child with a disability) who has or wants a service animal is entitled to full and equal access to housing, and cannot be charged extra for the service animal. The tenant may be liable for damage the animal causes. State law defines 'service animal' as an animal individually trained to do work or tasks for a person with a disability. State fair housing law also bans disability discrimination in rentals. No state statute sets documentation rules for emotional support animals or penalizes misrepresenting an animal. Md. Code, Human Servs. §§ 7-701(g), 7-704(c); State Gov't § 20-705 |
| New Jersey | No landlord-specific camera statute. It is a crime to observe another person without consent, knowing one is not licensed or privileged to do so, where a reasonable person would know the person may expose intimate parts or engage in sexual activity and would not expect to be observed. The same statute separately criminalizes photographing, filming, or recording such a person and disclosing such images. N.J.S.A. 2C:14-9 | No statute — lease governs guests and occupants. Leases may set conditions of occupancy and restrictions on subletting or assignment. N.J.S.A. 46:8-44 to -47 (Truth in Renting Act); lease | Under the Law Against Discrimination, a person with a disability, or who is blind or deaf, who has or obtains a service or guide dog is entitled to full and equal access to all housing and may not be charged extra for the dog; a no-pets lease clause does not apply to it, and the tenant is liable for damage the dog causes. Seniors in covered senior citizen housing projects (3+ units) may keep pets after written notice to the landlord. No state statute sets emotional support animal documentation rules or penalizes misrepresentation in housing. N.J.S.A. 10:5-29.2; N.J.S.A. 2A:42-103 et seq. (Pets in Housing Projects) |
| New York | No landlord-specific camera statute. Unlawful surveillance in the second degree (class E felony) includes using or installing an imaging device to surreptitiously view, broadcast, or record a person dressing or undressing or their intimate parts where they expect privacy, or to surreptitiously record in a bedroom, bathroom, changing room, or shower with no legitimate purpose (device use in those rooms creates a rebuttable presumption of no legitimate purpose). N.Y. Penal Law § 250.45 | The 'Roommate Law': a landlord may not restrict occupancy to the tenant and immediate family. A sole tenant may live with immediate family, one additional occupant, and that occupant's dependent children; on a multi-tenant lease, total tenants plus occupants (excluding occupants' dependent children) may not exceed the number of tenants on the lease. The tenant or spouse must use the unit as a primary residence, and the tenant must tell the landlord an occupant's name within 30 days of move-in or of the landlord's request. Occupants gain no tenancy rights. Lease waivers are void. N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 235-f | Housing providers must make reasonable accommodations in rules and policies for persons with disabilities, including permitting an assistance animal. It is an unlawful discriminatory practice to deny access to or discriminate against a person with a disability accompanied by a guide, hearing, or service dog, and no additional charge may be imposed for admittance of such a dog. No state statute sets documentation rules for emotional support animals or penalizes service-animal misrepresentation in housing. N.Y. Exec. Law § 296(14), (18)(2); N.Y. Civ. Rights Law § 47-b |
| Ohio | No landlord-specific statute. Criminal laws apply: secretly or surreptitiously recording another person in a place where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy for the purpose of viewing private areas is voyeurism (misdemeanor; felony if the victim is a minor); spying or eavesdropping by trespass or surreptitious invasion of privacy for sexual gratification is also voyeurism. Intercepting oral, wire or electronic communications without being a party or having a party's consent is a fourth-degree felony (one-party consent). Ohio Rev. Code §§ 2907.08, 2933.52 | No statute — lease governs guests, roommates and occupancy limits. Tenants must require persons on the premises with their consent not to disturb neighbors, not to damage the premises, and not to violate drug laws. Ohio Rev. Code § 5321.05(A)(6), (8)-(9) | No Ohio housing statute on emotional support animal documentation or misrepresentation. Refusing a reasonable accommodation needed by a person with a disability to use and enjoy a dwelling is an unlawful discriminatory practice under Ohio's fair-housing law, which applies to assistance animal requests. A separate statute gives people with qualifying disabilities and trainers equal access with assistance dogs in public accommodations and lodging places and bars charging a fee for the dog. Ohio Rev. Code §§ 4112.02(H)(19), 955.43 |
| West Virginia | No landlord-specific statute. Criminal invasion of privacy: knowingly photographing, filming or digitally recording another person without that person's knowledge while the person is fully or partially nude in a place where a reasonable person would expect privacy is a misdemeanor (up to 1 year and $5,000); a second offense is a felony. West Virginia is a one-party consent state for audio interception. W. Va. Code § 61-8-28; § 62-1D-3(e) | No statute — no statewide occupancy limit or guest rule; the lease governs. The landlord's code-compliance and repair duties do not cover problems caused by a member of the tenant's family or other person on the premises with the tenant's consent. Since 2024, a 'squatter' (a person occupying a unit without a rental agreement and without the tenant's authorization) is not covered by the landlord-tenant article, and courts may not require eviction proceedings to remove one. W. Va. Code § 37-6-30(a)(2), (4); § 37-6-31 | Not verified yet |
City rules that may add to state law
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Compare privacy, guests & animals in all 50 states and DC →
Pennsylvania Privacy, Guests & Animal Rules FAQ
Can a landlord put cameras in or around a rental in Pennsylvania?
No landlord-specific statute. Viewing or recording a person without knowledge and consent, for sexual gratification, while the person is fully or partially nude in a place with a reasonable expectation of privacy (or recording intimate parts not intended to be publicly visible) is criminal invasion of privacy. Intercepting oral, wire or electronic communications is a third-degree felony unless all parties consent (two-party/all-party consent state). (18 Pa.C.S. §§ 7507.1, 5703, 5704(4))
Can a landlord limit guests or roommates in Pennsylvania?
In tenement buildings and multiple dwelling premises (three or more households), tenants have a non-waivable right to invite social guests, family or visitors for a reasonable period of time, and business visitors, tradesmen and deliverymen, as long as tenant obligations are observed; the landlord may not charge any fee or extra rent for exercising these rights. Tenants must not let persons on the premises with their permission willfully damage the property or disturb other tenants. No statewide occupancy limit or roommate statute. (68 P.S. §§ 250.501-A, 250.503-A, 250.504-A)
Can a landlord deny a service or emotional support animal in Pennsylvania?
The Pennsylvania Human Relations Act makes it unlawful to refuse to lease housing, or to discriminate in terms, because of disability or because of the use of a guide animal (blindness or deafness) or support animal (physical handicap), or because a person is a handler or trainer of guide or support animals; inquiries and records about such animal use in connection with a lease are restricted. Pennsylvania has no statute specifically on emotional support animal documentation, misrepresentation penalties or pet-fee limits. (43 P.S. § 955(h)(1), (h)(6) (PHRA § 5(h)))
General legal information, not legal advice. Laws change and local rules can differ; check the linked official source or talk to a lawyer about your situation.