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Pennsylvania camps
Summer camps in Pennsylvania: state rules
Pennsylvania doesn't publish a statewide camp list, so we have no camp listings here yet. This page explains the state's camp rule and links to the official sources.
Pennsylvania camp rules
Only some camp types need a camp license or permit. Pennsylvania has no state program license for youth camps. An 'organized camp' (an outdoor group-living program run for 5 or more consecutive days) and campgrounds need a yearly sanitation permit covering water, sewage and toilets from the Department of Health or local health department (28 Pa. Code §§19.1, 19.11). School-age day camps (kindergarten and up) running fewer than 90 consecutive days are usually exempt from child care certification, but that exemption doesn't cover preschool-age children; camp employees and volunteers still need child abuse clearances.
Agency: Pennsylvania Department of Health or the local (county or municipal) health department, for organized camp sanitation permits
Official sources: 28 Pa. Code §19.11 (organized camp permit) · 28 Pa. Code §19.1 (definitions) · 55 Pa. Code §3270.3a
All Pennsylvania rules for child care and camps · Camp license rules in every state · Checked October 2026. General information, not legal advice.
More for Pennsylvania families
- Child care and after-school programs in Pennsylvania
- Free summer meals for kids in Pennsylvania: USDA meal sites. These are not camps.
- Youth, sports and camp nonprofits in Pennsylvania, from IRS data. Being listed there doesn't mean a camp is licensed.
Camp not listed?
If you run a camp in Pennsylvania that isn't here, send us its details. It's free. A person at BackPR reviews every submission before anything is published, and not every camp gets listed.