Bucks County Adopts New Ordinance Updating Park Rules

DOYLESTOWN, PA ? From Ringing Rocks in the north to the Silver Lake Nature Center in the south, new rules and regulations are now in effect at Bucks County-owned public parks.

During its Jan. 18 meeting, the Bucks County Commissioners voted unanimously to approve Ordinance No. 170, which overhauls park rules and updates regulations regarding such things as tobacco use, e-bikes, hoverboards and other items.

"This has been long overdue," Parks and Recreation Executive Director Angela Nagle told the commissioners.

"The purpose of this review was to make recommendations to the board that better align our park rules with our current operating procedures that captures types of recreation that weren't even thought of decades ago and to bring our park system up to date."

In addition, Nagle said Ordinance No. 170 is designed to ?further protect the well being of all of our park users, our park property, our natural resources and our wildlife."

The new slate of rules took effect Feb. 1. Updated signage is in the process of being added to reflect the changes. The signage will include a QR Code allowing park visitors easy access the entire ordinance.

Under the new ordinance, the use of tobacco products including electronic cigarettes is now prohibited within 50 feet of playgrounds as well as recreational fields and facilities within the county?s parks.

The ordinance also includes rules governing the use of bicycles with electric motors, or e-bikes, which in large part are treated the same under the ordinance as a traditional bicycle. The new e-bike and e-scooter rules mirror the policy recently adopted for PA State Parks and Forests by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

All bikes and e-bikes are generally permitted on public use roads within the park property unless otherwise noted.

Use of hoverboards or similar personal transporters that do not have handlebars are now prohibited without a permit under a provision restricting ?self-balancing electric mobility devices.?

The ordinance also provides updated guidance for camping in the park system, the issuance of permits and further protections of natural areas and plant life.

The ordinance, the full text of which can be read here, is the first major revision to park rules since the late 1990s.