Pennsylvania 2025_0 Regular Session Status: In Committee Bipartisan · 6 D · 2 R cosponsors

HB 2857 — An Act amending Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes, in burglary and other criminal intrusion, providing for the offense of unlawful entry into animal enclosure.

Last action — Referred to LABOR AND INDUSTRY, Oct. 16, 2026

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  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed House
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced October 16, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the House.

Prognosis

Advancing 42% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

Low

How often bills like it became law.

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 8 sponsors

    1 primary, 7 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Bipartisan support

    Sponsored across 2 parties (6 D · 2 R) — cross-party backing.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

In plain language

The bill makes unlawful entry into animal enclosures a criminal offense.

This bill establishes that entering animal enclosures without authorization is a crime, with varying penalties based on the consequences. There are exceptions for authorized personnel and emergencies.

What this means for you
  • Environment: This means stricter regulations to protect animals in enclosures from unauthorized access.

Summary

Unlawfully Entering Zoo Enclosures

Bill Text

How this bill changes current law

1 change Share ↗

Compared against the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes as published AI-generated reading aid — verify against the official bill.

The bill adds a new offense of unlawful entry into animal enclosures to Pennsylvania's Crimes and Offenses statute.

  • 18 Pa.C.S. § 3503.1

    § 3503.1. Unlawful entry into animal enclosure. (a) Offense defined.--A person commits the offense of unlawful entry into an animal enclosure if, knowing that the person is not licensed or privileged to do so, the person: (1) enters a locked or restricted area in an animal enclosure; or (2) climbs over, under, through or otherwise bypasses a fence, wall, moat, gate or other protective structure designed to separate the public from an animal enclosure. (b) Grading.-- (1) Except as provided under paragraphs (2) and (3), a violation of this section constitutes a misdemeanor of the third degree. (2) If the violation causes the evacuation of visitors or emergency response by law enforcement, fire, emergency medical services, animal control personnel or staff, the offense constitutes a misdemeanor of the second degree. (3) If the violation results in injury, death or substantial risk of injury or death to an animal, employee, emergency responder or member of the public, the offense constitutes a felony of the third degree. (c) Restitution.--In addition to any other penalty imposed by law, the court shall order restitution for costs incurred by the facility, including animal recovery, veterinary treatment, emergency response, enclosure repair and operational disruptions. (d) Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit prosecution under any other provision of law, including criminal trespass, criminal mischief, recklessly endangering another person, cruelty to animals or related offenses. (e) Exceptions.--Subsection (a) does not apply to: (1) employees, contractors, veterinarians or volunteers acting within the scope of authorized duties; (2) law enforcement officers, emergency responders or animal control personnel acting within the scope of official duties; or (3) individuals entering an animal enclosure during a bona fide emergency to prevent imminent death or serious bodily injury. (f) Definitions.--As used in this section, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise: "Animal enclosure." An enclosure maintained by a zoological park, aquarium, menagerie or person with a propagating permit under 34 Pa.C.S. § 2930 (relating to propagating permits). "Menagerie." As defined in 34 Pa.C.S. § 2961 (relating to definitions).

    This addition defines unlawful entry into animal enclosures and establishes penalties for violations.

Action History

  1. Referred to LABOR AND INDUSTRY, Oct. 16, 2026

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 7 co-sponsors · 245 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (7)

Not signed on (245)

245 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 245 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Subjects

public-safety agriculture
Cross-referencing the record. Reading this bill against every other bill in the corpus by meaning, not keywords. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Matching · Ranking · Engrossing

Frequently asked questions

What does HB 2857 do?
Unlawfully Entering Zoo Enclosures
Who sponsors HB 2857?
HB 2857 is sponsored by Melissa L. Shusterman (Democratic), Carol Hill-Evans (Democratic), Daniel J. Deasy (Democratic), Benjamin V. Sanchez (Democratic), Milou Mackenzie (Republican), Jeanne McNeill (Democratic), Tarah Probst (Democratic), and Zachary Mako (Republican).
What is the current status of HB 2857?
This bill is in committee in the House. Introduced October 16, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track HB 2857?
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Last checked for changes 13 days ago · updated continuously

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