House passes Sappey bill to increase clarity, transparency in proposed township ordinances
Rep. Christina Sappey April 29, 2026 | 11:27 AM
HARRISBURG, April 29 – The Pennsylvania House of Representatives on Tuesday passed legislation (H.B. 2179) introduced by state Rep. Christina Sappey that would clarify what subjects must be included in the public notices of proposed ordinances for second class townships.
Sappey serves on the House Local Government Committee and introduced the bill after learning about a shade tree ordinance that was overturned in Lancaster County because of ambiguous language in the public notice.
Sappey's bill would clarify what subjects must be included in the brief summary of an advertised proposed ordinance. The summary would need to include a description of the following, as applicable:
- An adoption, amendment or repeal of a tax, fee, charge or assessment.
- An adoption, amendment or repeal of a regulation that provides for an offense or civil or criminal penalty.
- A provision or covenant that provides for the payment or disbursement of funds for goods, services or contractual obligation; restricts funds to a specific purpose or obligation; or pledges funds for a specific purpose or obligation.
“This legislation also would require advertisements to include references to the township office where copies of the proposed ordinance may be viewed, and to the publicly accessible website where the full text of the ordinance may be viewed, if one exists,” Sappey said. “If a summary meets the obligations outlined in this legislation, it will be deemed legally sufficient if subject to a legal challenge.”
Numbering about 1,454, second class townships are the most common form of local government, representing about 44% of Pennsylvania’s population. They are less densely populated areas in mostly rural and suburban communities. There are 56 in Chester County.
The House also approved a companion bill (H.B. 2177) to clarify the same for public notice advertisement requirements for borough, third class city and county ordinances.
Both bills now head to the Senate for consideration.