Pennsylvania hazing law makes hazing a crime and treats the most dangerous hazing as a felony. Known as the Timothy J. Piazza Antihazing Law, it was signed on October 19, 2018, and also holds fraternities, sororities, and colleges accountable.
If you or your child was hurt during a pledge process, team initiation, or club ritual, you may feel shocked, angry, and unsure where to turn. You are not alone, and what happened was not your fault. Below, we explain what the law covers, the penalties it carries, and how it can support a civil claim for hazing victims and their families.
Why Pennsylvania Passed the Timothy J. Piazza Antihazing Law
Timothy Piazza was a 19-year-old Penn State sophomore and Beta Theta Pi pledge. He died in February 2017 after a night of hazing that involved heavy drinking and a series of falls inside the fraternity house.
His parents, Jim and Evelyn Piazza, worked with state lawmakers to rewrite Pennsylvania’s hazing law. The bill, Senate Bill 1090, passed the General Assembly unanimously and became Act 80 of 2018. Governor Tom Wolf signed it on October 19, 2018, and it took effect on November 18, 2018.
Before the change, prosecutors could generally charge hazing only as a second-degree misdemeanor, even when a student died. The Timothy J. Piazza Antihazing Law created tougher, tiered penalties and new crimes for groups and schools that allow hazing.
What Counts as Hazing Under the Pennsylvania Hazing Statute?
Under the Pennsylvania Hazing Statute (18 Pa.C.S. § 2802), hazing happens when someone intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly forces a student or minor to do something harmful to join a group or keep their status in it. That includes forcing someone to:
- Break a federal or state criminal law
- Eat, drink, or take alcohol, drugs, or any substance that risks physical or emotional harm
- Endure physical brutality, such as whipping, beating, branding, forced calisthenics, or exposure to the elements
- Endure mental brutality, such as sleep deprivation, isolation, or extreme humiliation
- Endure brutality of a sexual nature
- Take part in any other activity reasonably likely to cause bodily injury
The law covers fraternities, sororities, clubs, teams, and similar groups whose members are mostly students or minors. It also reaches national organizations that local chapters belong to. It applies to colleges and to middle and high schools (grades 7 through 12).
Reasonable and customary athletic, law enforcement, or military training does not count as hazing.
Criminal Penalties Under Pennsylvania Hazing Law
The Piazza law sets penalties by how serious the hazing was and who was responsible:
| Offense | Who it covers | Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Hazing | Individuals | Summary offense; a third-degree misdemeanor (up to 1 year in jail and a $2,500 fine) if it causes or risks bodily injury |
| Aggravated hazing | Individuals | Third-degree felony (up to 7 years and a $15,000 fine) when hazing causes serious bodily injury or death and the person acted with reckless indifference or forced alcohol or drugs |
| Organizational hazing | Fraternities, sororities, clubs, and their national groups | Fines up to $5,000 per hazing violation and $15,000 per aggravated hazing violation, plus other court-ordered relief |
| Pennsylvania Institutional Hazing | Colleges and universities | Fines up to $5,000 per hazing violation and $15,000 per aggravated hazing violation |
A “summary offense” is the lowest level of crime in Pennsylvania, similar to a citation.
Three more rules give the law teeth:
- Property forfeiture. After a conviction for aggravated or organizational hazing, a court may order the defendant to give up property used in the hazing, such as a fraternity house.
- Consent is no defense. It does not matter if the victim agreed or if the school or group approved the activity.
- Safe harbor for calling 911. A person who calls for help, gives their name, and stays with the injured student until help arrives is generally protected from hazing charges. This rule exists because no one called for help in time the night Tim Piazza was hurt.
What Pennsylvania Schools and Colleges Must Do
Every Pennsylvania college, university, middle school, and high school must have a written antihazing policy, enforce it, and post it on its website. Penalties can include fines, withheld diplomas or transcripts, loss of a group’s campus recognition, and suspension or expulsion. The policy applies to hazing on or off campus.
Colleges and universities have an extra duty. They must keep a public report of every hazing violation reported to them, update it each January 1 and August 1, and keep each report for five years. The report describes the violation, the school’s findings, and any penalties, without naming individual students.
These reports matter for families. They can show whether a school already knew a group had a history of hazing.
The law may grow. In September 2026, two state senators announced plans for a bill that would add hazing to Pennsylvania’s mandatory reporting rules. It follows a Montgomery County grand jury report on alleged hazing of a Cheltenham High School student.
Pennsylvania Hazing Liability: Civil Lawsuits for Victims
Criminal charges punish wrongdoers. They don’t pay a victim’s medical bills, though, and that gap is where civil lawsuits come in. The Piazza law says plainly that it doesn’t block any civil remedy, so victims and families can file a separate civil lawsuit for compensation whether or not anyone is criminally charged.
Depending on the facts, Pennsylvania hazing liability may reach:
- The students who planned or carried out the hazing
- The local chapter, club, or team
- The national fraternity or sorority
- The college, university, or school, if it knew or should have known about the danger and failed to act
- Property owners or landlords where the hazing took place
A criminal conviction can be strong evidence in a civil case. So can a school’s own hazing reports and policies, and whether they actually enforced them. That paperwork often shows what the school knew and when.
A civil claim may help recover:
- Medical and therapy costs
- Lost time from school or work
- Pain, suffering, and emotional distress
- Wrongful death damages for families who lost a loved one
Filing Deadlines
Most Pennsylvania personal injury claims must be filed within two years. When the victim is under 18, that clock usually does not start until their 18th birthday. Claims against a government body, such as a public school district, usually require written notice within six months. Because deadlines vary, talk to one of our hazing lawyers in Pennsylvania as soon as you can.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Timothy J. Piazza Antihazing Law is Pennsylvania’s main hazing law, signed on October 19, 2018. It makes severe hazing a felony, punishes organizations and schools that allow hazing, and requires schools to adopt and post antihazing policies. It is named for a Penn State student who died after fraternity hazing in 2017.
Yes. Hazing victims and their families can file a civil lawsuit in Pennsylvania, even if no criminal charges are filed. The Piazza law says it does not limit civil remedies. Most claims must be filed within two years, so speaking with a Pennsylvania hazing attorney early helps protect your rights.
Yes. Fraternity members can face criminal charges for hazing in Pennsylvania. Hazing can be a summary offense or a misdemeanor, and aggravated hazing that causes serious injury or death is a third-degree felony. The fraternity itself can also be fined, and a court may order forfeiture of property such as a chapter house.
Yes. Pennsylvania hazing law applies to sororities just as it does to fraternities. The law names sororities in its definition of covered organizations, along with clubs, teams, and other student groups. National sorority organizations can be held responsible too.
Often, yes. A college can be held liable if it knew or should have known about hazing and did nothing reasonable to stop it. Colleges are required to enforce anti-hazing policies and track violations, and those records often reveal what the school actually knew.
Hazing claims live or die on three things: what happened, who was involved, and who knew. The evidence that tends to matter most:
Texts, group chats, and social media posts, including anything deleted or screenshotted
Photos and videos from the night in question
Medical records.
Witness statements from other members or pledges who saw what happened
Police reports and criminal case records
The school’s anti-hazing policy, plus its public hazing reports
Save everything you can, and don’t delete messages. A Pennsylvania hazing lawyer can step in to preserve evidence before it disappears.
Talk to a Pennsylvania Hazing Attorney at EOL
No one should be hurt for wanting to belong. If you or your child was harmed by hazing, you deserve answers and someone in your corner.
Ethen Ostroff Law is Pennsylvania’s Injury Firm. A Pennsylvania hazing Lawyer on our team can review what happened, explain your options, and help you act before key deadlines pass. Learn more on our Hazing Lawsuits page.
Your consultation is free, and you pay no fees unless we win. Call 610-510-8883 or fill out the form on EOL.law today.
Justice For All.
