2021 Pennsylvania Consolidated & Unconsolidated Statutes
Title 18 - CRIMES AND OFFENSES
Chapter 57 - Wiretapping and Electronic Surveillance
Section 5704 - Exceptions to prohibition of interception and disclosure of communications

It shall not be unlawful and no prior court approval shall be required under this chapter for:

(1) An operator of a switchboard, or an officer, agent or employee of a provider of wire or electronic communication service, whose facilities are used in the transmission of a wire communication, to intercept, disclose or use that communication in the normal course of his employment while engaged in any activity which is a necessary incident to the rendition of his service or to the protection of the rights or property of the provider of wire or electronic communication service. However, no provider of wire or electronic communication service shall utilize service observing or random monitoring except for mechanical or service quality control checks.

(2) Any investigative or law enforcement officer or any person acting at the direction or request of an investigative or law enforcement officer to intercept a wire, electronic or oral communication involving suspected criminal activities, including, but not limited to, the crimes enumerated in section 5708 (relating to order authorizing interception of wire, electronic or oral communications), where:

(i) (Deleted by amendment).

(ii) one of the parties to the communication has given prior consent to such interception. However, no interception under this paragraph shall be made unless the Attorney General or a deputy attorney general designated in writing by the Attorney General, or the district attorney, or an assistant district attorney designated in writing by the district attorney, of the county wherein the interception is to be initiated, has reviewed the facts and is satisfied that the consent is voluntary and has given prior approval for the interception; however, such interception shall be subject to the recording and record keeping requirements of section 5714(a) (relating to recording of intercepted communications) and that the Attorney General, deputy attorney general, district attorney or assistant district attorney authorizing the interception shall be the custodian of recorded evidence obtained therefrom;

(iii) the investigative or law enforcement officer meets in person with a suspected felon and wears a concealed electronic or mechanical device capable of intercepting or recording oral communications. However, no interception under this subparagraph may be used in any criminal prosecution except for a prosecution involving harm done to the investigative or law enforcement officer. This subparagraph shall not be construed to limit the interception and disclosure authority provided for in this subchapter; or

(iv) the requirements of this subparagraph are met. If an oral interception otherwise authorized under this paragraph will take place in the home of a nonconsenting party, then, in addition to the requirements of subparagraph (ii), the interception shall not be conducted until an order is first obtained from the president judge, or his designee who shall also be a judge, of a court of common pleas, authorizing such in-home interception, based upon an affidavit by an investigative or law enforcement officer that establishes probable cause for the issuance of such an order. No such order or affidavit shall be required where probable cause and exigent circumstances exist. For the purposes of this paragraph, an oral interception shall be deemed to take place in the home of a nonconsenting party only if both the consenting and nonconsenting parties are physically present in the home at the time of the interception.

(3) Police and emergency communications systems to record telephone communications coming into and going out of the communications system of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency or a police department, fire department or county emergency center, if:

(i) the telephones thereof are limited to the exclusive use of the communication system for administrative purposes and provided the communication system employs a periodic warning which indicates to the parties to the conversation that the call is being recorded;

(ii) all recordings made pursuant to this clause, all notes made therefrom, and all transcriptions thereof may be destroyed at any time, unless required with regard to a pending matter; and

(iii) at least one nonrecorded telephone line is made available for public use at the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency and at each police department, fire department or county emergency center.

(4) A person, to intercept a wire, electronic or oral communication, where all parties to the communication have given prior consent to such interception.

(5) Any investigative or law enforcement officer, or communication common carrier acting at the direction of an investigative or law enforcement officer or in the normal course of its business, to use a pen register, trap and trace device or telecommunication identification interception device as provided in Subchapter E (relating to pen registers, trap and trace devices and telecommunication identification interception devices).

(6) Personnel of any public utility to record telephone conversations with utility customers or the general public relating to receiving and dispatching of emergency and service calls provided there is, during such recording, a periodic warning which indicates to the parties to the conversation that the call is being recorded.

(7) A user, or any officer, employee or agent of such user, to record telephone communications between himself and a contractor or designer, or any officer, employee or agent of such contractor or designer, pertaining to excavation or demolition work or other related matters, if the user or its agent indicates to the parties to the conversation that the call will be or is being recorded. As used in this paragraph, the terms "user," "contractor," "demolition work," "designer" and "excavation work" shall have the meanings given to them in the act of December 10, 1974 (P.L.852, No.287), referred to as the Underground Utility Line Protection Law; and a one call system shall be considered for this purpose to be an agent of any user which is a member thereof.

(8) A provider of electronic communication service to record the fact that a wire or electronic communication was initiated or completed in order to protect the provider, another provider furnishing service toward the completion of the wire or electronic communication, or a user of that service, from fraudulent, unlawful or abusive use of the service.

(9) A person or entity providing electronic communication service to the public to divulge the contents of any such communication:

(i) as otherwise authorized in this section or section 5717 (relating to investigative disclosure or use of contents of wire, electronic or oral communications or derivative evidence);

(ii) with the lawful consent of the originator or any addressee or intended recipient of the communication;

(iii) to a person employed or authorized, or whose facilities are used, to forward the communication to its destination; or

(iv) which were inadvertently obtained by the service provider and which appear to pertain to the commission of a crime, if such divulgence is made to a law enforcement agency.

A person or entity providing electronic communication service to the public shall not intentionally divulge the contents of any communication (other than one directed to the person or entity, or an agent thereof) while in transmission of that service to any person or entity other than an addressee or intended recipient of the communication or an agent of the addressee or intended recipient.

(10) Any person:

(i) to intercept or access an electronic communication made through an electronic communication system configured so that the electronic communication is readily accessible to the general public;

(ii) to intercept any radio communication which is transmitted:

(A) by a station for the use of the general public, or which relates to ships, aircraft, vehicles or persons in distress;

(B) by any governmental, law enforcement, civil defense, private land mobile or public safety communication system, including police and fire systems, readily accessible to the general public;

(C) by a station operating on an authorized frequency within the bands allocated to the amateur, citizens band or general mobile radio services; or

(D) by any marine or aeronautical communication system;

(iii) to engage in any conduct which:

(A) is prohibited by section 633 of the Communications Act of 1934 (48 Stat. 1105, 47 U.S.C. § 553); or

(B) is excepted from the application of section 705(a) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. § 605(a)) by section 705(b) of that act (47 U.S.C. § 605(b)); or

(iv) to intercept any wire or electronic communication the transmission of which is causing harmful interference to any lawfully operating station, to the extent necessary to identify the source of the interference.

(11) Other users of the same frequency to intercept any radio communication made through a system which utilizes frequencies monitored by individuals engaged in the provisions or use of the system, if the communication is not scrambled or encrypted.

(12) Any investigative or law enforcement officer or any person acting at the direction or request of an investigative or law enforcement officer to intercept a wire or oral communication involving suspected criminal activities where the officer or the person is a party to the communication and there is reasonable cause to believe that:

(i) the other party to the communication is either:

(A) holding a hostage; or

(B) has barricaded himself and taken a position of confinement to avoid apprehension; and

(ii) that party:

(A) may resist with the use of weapons; or

(B) is threatening suicide or harm to himself or others.

(13) An investigative officer, a law enforcement officer or employees of the Department of Corrections for State correctional facilities to intercept, record, monitor or divulge any oral communication, electronic communication or wire communication from or to an inmate in a facility under the following conditions:

(i) The Department of Corrections shall adhere to the following procedures and restrictions when intercepting, recording, monitoring or divulging any oral communication, electronic communication or wire communication from or to an inmate in a State correctional facility as provided for by this paragraph:

(A) Before the implementation of this paragraph, all inmates of the facility shall be notified in writing that, as of the effective date of this paragraph, their oral communication, electronic communication or wire communication may be intercepted, recorded, monitored or divulged.

(B) Unless otherwise provided for in this paragraph, after intercepting or recording an oral communication, electronic communication or wire communication, only the superintendent, warden or a designee of the superintendent or warden or other chief administrative official or his or her designee, or law enforcement officers shall have access to that recording.

(C) The contents of an intercepted and recorded oral communication, electronic communication or wire communication shall be divulged only as is necessary to safeguard the orderly operation of the facility, in response to a court order or in the prosecution or investigation of any crime.

(ii) So as to safeguard the attorney-client privilege, the Department of Corrections shall not intercept, record, monitor or divulge an oral communication, electronic communication or wire communication between an inmate and an attorney.

(iii) Persons who are engaging in an oral communication, electronic communication or wire communication with an inmate shall be notified that the communication may be recorded or monitored. Notice may be provided by any means reasonably designed to inform the noninmate party of the recording or monitoring.

(iv) The Department of Corrections shall promulgate guidelines to implement the provisions of this paragraph for State correctional facilities.

(14) An investigative officer, a law enforcement officer or employees of a county correctional facility to intercept, record, monitor or divulge an oral communication, electronic communication or wire communication from or to an inmate in a facility under the following conditions:

(i) The county correctional facility shall adhere to the following procedures and restrictions when intercepting, recording, monitoring or divulging an oral communication, electronic communication or wire communication from or to an inmate in a county correctional facility as provided for by this paragraph:

(A) Before the implementation of this paragraph, all inmates of the facility shall be notified in writing that, as of the effective date of this paragraph, their oral communications, electronic communications or wire communications may be intercepted, recorded, monitored or divulged.

(B) Unless otherwise provided for in this paragraph, after intercepting or recording an oral communication, electronic communication or wire communication, only the superintendent, warden or a designee of the superintendent or warden or other chief administrative official or his or her designee, or law enforcement officers shall have access to that recording.

(C) The contents of an intercepted and recorded oral communication, electronic communication or wire communication shall be divulged only as is necessary to safeguard the orderly operation of the facility, in response to a court order or in the prosecution or investigation of any crime.

(ii) So as to safeguard the attorney-client privilege, the county correctional facility shall not intercept, record, monitor or divulge an oral communication, electronic communication or wire communication between an inmate and an attorney.

(iii) Persons who are engaging in an oral communication, electronic communication or wire communication with an inmate shall be notified that the communication may be recorded or monitored. Notice may be provided by any means reasonably designed to inform the noninmate party of the recording or monitoring.

(iv) The superintendent, warden or a designee of the superintendent or warden or other chief administrative official of the county correctional system shall promulgate guidelines to implement the provisions of this paragraph for county correctional facilities.

(15) The personnel of a business engaged in telephone marketing or telephone customer service by means of wire, oral or electronic communication to intercept such marketing or customer service communications where such interception is made for the sole purpose of training, quality control or monitoring by the business, provided that one party involved in the communications has consented to such intercept. Any communications recorded pursuant to this paragraph may only be used by the business for the purpose of training or quality control. Unless otherwise required by Federal or State law, communications recorded pursuant to this paragraph shall be destroyed within one year from the date of recording.

(16) (Deleted by amendment).

(17) Any victim, witness or private detective licensed under the act of August 21, 1953 (P.L.1273, No.361), known as The Private Detective Act of 1953, to intercept the contents of any wire, electronic or oral communication, if that person is under a reasonable suspicion that the intercepted party is committing, about to commit or has committed a crime of violence and there is reason to believe that evidence of the crime of violence may be obtained from the interception.

(18) A person to intercept oral communications for disciplinary or security purposes on a school bus or school vehicle, as those terms are defined in 75 Pa.C.S. § 102 (relating to definitions), if all of the following conditions are met:

(i) The school board has adopted a policy that authorizes audio interception on school buses or school vehicles for disciplinary or security purposes.

(ii) Each school year, the school board includes the policy in a student handbook and in any other publication of the school entity that sets forth the comprehensive rules, procedures and standards of conduct for the school entity.

(iii) The school board posts a notice that students may be audiotaped, which notice is clearly visible on each school bus or school vehicle that is furnished with audio-recording equipment.

(iv) The school entity posts a notice of the policy on the school entity's publicly accessible Internet website.

This paragraph shall not apply when a school bus or school vehicle is used for a purpose that is not school related.

(July 10, 1981, P.L.227, No.72, eff. 60 days; Dec. 23, 1981, P.L.593, No.175, eff. 60 days; Oct. 21, 1988, P.L.1000, No.115, eff. imd.; Sept. 26, 1995, 1st Sp.Sess., P.L.1056, No.20, eff. 60 days; Dec. 19, 1996, P.L.1458, No.186, eff. 60 days; Feb. 18, 1998, P.L.102, No.19, eff. imd.; June 11, 2002, P.L.367, No.52, eff. imd.; Oct. 25, 2012, P.L.1634, No.202, eff. 60 days; Feb. 4, 2014, P.L.21, No.9; June 23, 2016, P.L.392, No.56, eff. 60 days; July 7, 2017, P.L.304, No.22, eff. 60 days)

2017 Amendment. Act 22 amended pars. (13) and (14) and deleted par. (16).

2016 Amendment. Act 56 amended par. (18).

2012 Amendment. Act 202 amended pars. (2)(ii), (12)(ii), (13)(i)(B) and (14)(i)(B) and added par. (17).

1998 Amendment. Act 19 amended the intro. par. and pars. (2), (5) and (9) and added par. (15).

Cross References. Section 5704 is referred to in sections 5702, 5706, 5717, 5720, 5721.1, 5742, 5747, 5749, 5782 of this title; section 901 of Title 30 (Fish).