No, Pennsylvania does not have a bizarre law making “your pickle” illegal. This stems from a widespread urban myth claiming it’s illegal to sell pickles that don’t bounce, rooted in a debunked interpretation of a 1947 agricultural quality standard that never existed as described.
Myth Origins
“Dumb laws” lists falsely attribute to Pennsylvania a rule requiring pickles to pass a bounce test for firmness under old Pure Food Laws, supposedly leading to arrests for “deadly weapons” if they fail. No such statute appears in Pennsylvania’s Food Code, Pure Food Act, or Department of Agriculture regs like 7 Pa. Code Chapter 46.​
Actual Food Laws
Pennsylvania enforces standard food safety via the Food Code (adopted from FDA model), covering sanitation, temperature control for hazardous foods, and labeling for dairy/milk sell-by dates up to 17 days post-pasteurization.​
Cottage foods (non-perishables like baked goods, jams) can be home-produced with PDA registration and pH testing for acidified items, but no pickle-specific bounce or felony rules exist.​​
Violations trigger fines or shutdowns for adulterated food, not quirky pickle tests.
SOURCES
[1](https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/pennsylvania/55-Pa-Code-SS-3270-161)
[2](https://policyfinder.refed.org/pennsylvania/)
[3](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZaxFEP5b28)
[4](https://www.pa.gov/agencies/pda/food/food-safety/limited-food-establishment-)
[5](https://www.pa.gov/agencies/pda/food/food-safety)
