Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Safety topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Lancaster County tightens rifle rules for deer hunting, sets effective date May 1, 2026
Summary
The Board of Supervisors amended county code to restrict centerfire rifle caliber and hunting conditions: rifles .23 caliber or larger allowed only from elevated stands at least 10 feet high, require landowner written permission, and are prohibited in organized drives. The change becomes effective May 1, 2026.
Lancaster County supervisors voted on Aug. 28 to amend the county code governing hunting to restrict the use of certain centerfire rifles during deer season and to add enforceable conditions, including an effective date timed for the county's hunting guide update.
The ordinance change sets a minimum elevated-stand height and adds operational and enforcement conditions. Under the amended language approved by the board, rifles and pistols of .23 caliber or larger may be used to hunt deer during general firearms deer season only if the hunter is in an elevated stand at least 10 feet above ground to the centerline of the barrel. The county added that rifles may have a round in the chamber only when on the elevated stand, and a person may discharge a rifle on the ground only to dispatch a deer wounded from an elevated stand. The board also specified that rifles larger than .22 caliber may be used for groundhog hunting and that coyotes may be hunted outside of the general firearms deer season per the ordinance's prior allowances.
Supervisors also added two further conditions in their final motion: hunters using a rifle must have written permission from the landowner, and the use of rifles is not permitted during organized drives — a practice that can involve multiple participants and dogs to flush deer toward other hunters. The board and staff said enforcement responsibility would fall in part to the state's game wardens for violations that implicate state hunting law; county code now carries a local class 3 misdemeanor penalty for violations of the section.
Why it matters: The changes aim to address safety concerns raised by residents and supervisors about proximity of rifle hunting to homes and roads and about the potential higher energy and range of modern centerfire rifles. The board set the effective date for May 1, 2026 so that the changes can be included in the state's and county's hunting guidance for the following season and allow time for public notice.
Procedure and vote: The board had previously held a public hearing on the ordinance; supervisors discussed tweaks to height and permission requirements and agreed to the 10-foot elevated-stand threshold. Another supervisor recommended making the effective date May 1, 2026 so that the new language would appear in hunting guidance and be enforceable by the game wardens for the 2026 season. The board adopted the amendment on a recorded voice vote; the chair announced the motion passed.
