This page explains how Legal in Penn researches, writes, checks and updates its guides to Pennsylvania law.
Primary sources only
Every legal claim on this site comes from a primary source. That means the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes (Pa.C.S.) and Purdon’s Pennsylvania Statutes (P.S.), the Pennsylvania Code and Pennsylvania Bulletin, the Pennsylvania Constitution, bills and acts from the Pennsylvania General Assembly, decisions of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the Superior Court and the Commonwealth Court, and published guidance from state agencies such as PennDOT, the Pennsylvania State Police, the Department of Labor and Industry, the Department of Health, the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board and the Office of Attorney General. Where federal law changes the answer, we use the U.S. Code, federal regulations and federal agency guidance.
We do not rely on news summaries, law firm blogs or other secondary websites for legal facts. We cite statutes by section number in each guide so you can check them yourself.
How a guide is made
- We read the current text of every statute and regulation that applies, including recent amendments.
- We check for pending bills, effective dates and court rulings that change how the law works today.
- We write the guide in clear, everyday language, with a short answer at the top and the details below.
- A second review re-checks each legal claim against its source before and after publishing.
Keeping guides current
Each guide shows a “Last verified” date and a “What changed on this page” log. We review the guides a new act touches when it is signed and again when it takes effect, and sooner when a court rules or an agency changes its rules.
Independence
Our guides explain the law; they do not promote any business. We do not recommend specific lawyers, sportsbooks, dispensaries, hemp shops or other companies, and no outside party decides what a guide says.
Corrections
If we get something wrong, we fix it and note the change on the page. Read our corrections policy to report an error.