Politics & Government

Public Invited to Comment on Ordinance to Limit Where Sex Offenders May Live in Pine

Township solicitor is preparing draft of proposed ordinance.

A public hearing is set for Dec. 5 on an ordinance to limit where sexual offenders may live in Pine Township.

Pine's Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Monday night to advertise the public hearing on the ordinance, which solicitor Gary Gushard is writing. The ordinance has not been completed yet.

At a public hearing, the public is invited to comment on the proposed ordinance.

Find out what's happening in Pine-Richlandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Writing such an ordinance is a challenge because the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in May struck down an Allegheny County law that limited where sex offenders may live.

The issue came up recently in Pine Township when  after a sex offender moved temporarily into their neighborhood.

Find out what's happening in Pine-Richlandwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Residents were particularly upset that the man was living close to a park and between two school bus stops. A neighbor checking the Megan's Law website discovered the man's presence. 

A community is not notified that a sex offender has moved into the neighborhood unless the offender has been listed as a sexually violent predator or if an out-of-state offender is required to submit to notification in the state of origin.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Pine-Richland