Pa. high court: Allegheny Co. sex-offender law invalid

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — The Pennsylvania Supreme Court says an Allegheny County ordinance barring sex offenders from living in certain areas is invalid.

In a strongly worded opinion, Chief Justice Ronald Castille said the 2007 ordinance is pre-empted by the state’s Megan’s Law registration requirements and state policies that promote rehabilitation.

Justice Castille said the ban on registered sex offenders living within 2,500 feet of schools, child-care facilities, community centers and public parks would force many to live in isolated areas that in effect become “localized penal colonies.”

The court’s unanimous opinion stems from a federal lawsuit filed on behalf of several sex offenders. The county appealed a federal judge’s 2009 ruling striking down the ordinance and the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sought the state court’s input.