Summary of Authority and Actions Regarding Public Health Emergencies: Pennsylvania’s Public Health Laws

Overview

This Issue Brief is intended to assist health officers and their attorneys by identifying potential actions during a health emergency, who may act, and what is required of the officers taking action. Title 28 of the Pennsylvania Code deals primarily with the health and safety of the commonwealth, and, along with some Pennsylvania statutes, describes actions that state and local health officers can use to respond to a public health emergency. Though the details of this document apply only in Pennsylvania, the legal provisions have similar counterparts in all other states.