Chronic Wasting Disease Laws in Pennsylvania: What Hunters and Landowners Must Know

Chronic wasting disease is one of the most serious wildlife health threats Pennsylvania has ever faced, and the rules designed to slow its spread carry real legal consequences for hunters, landowners, and deer farmers alike.

Whether you hunt inside a Disease Management Area, transport deer across state lines, or operate a captive cervid facility, understanding Pennsylvania’s CWD regulations is not optional — it is the law. This guide walks you through every major rule, zone, and requirement so you know exactly where you stand before deer season arrives.

CWD Status and Affected Areas in Pennsylvania

Chronic wasting disease is a contagious, always-fatal brain disease that affects members of the deer family. It was discovered in Pennsylvania’s free-ranging white-tailed deer in 2012 and continues to be a threat to deer and elk in the Commonwealth. Since then, the number of deer testing positive for CWD has risen and the area in which it is found has expanded.

The Game Commission began testing for CWD in Pennsylvania in 1998, but it was not found here until October 2012, when a captive deer in Adams County tested positive. The first confirmed case in a wild deer was recorded a month later, when three deer in Bedford and Blair counties were found with it.

As of the 2025–2026 season, there are 10 Disease Management Areas (DMAs) in Pennsylvania, covering about a third of the state, mainly in the southcentral region. To date, CWD has been found in more than 1,400 deer. It has not been detected in Pennsylvania’s elk herd.

CWD-infected animals shed prions through saliva, urine, and feces. Plants, soil, and water sources can be contaminated and remain infectious, and CWD-infected animals may not look sick for 18 to 24 months after they are infected but can still spread the disease during this time.

Because the disease footprint keeps shifting, Pennsylvania uses three distinct geographic designations — Disease Management Areas (DMAs), an Established Area (EA), and CWD Deer Management Assistance Program (DMAP) units — each carrying its own set of rules. If you hunt in Pennsylvania, you need to know which designation applies to your hunting ground. You can find similar regulatory frameworks for other wildlife activities in our guide to coyote hunting laws in Pennsylvania.

Baiting and Feeding Restrictions in Pennsylvania

Feeding and baiting regulations in Pennsylvania depend heavily on where you are in the state. The rules are stricter inside DMAs than in unaffected areas, and they apply to everyone — not just hunters.

• Inside any established DMA: Direct and indirect feeding is prohibited in any established chronic wasting disease management area.
• Urine-based attractants: The use of urine-based deer attractants is prohibited within the DMAs, as is the direct or indirect feeding of wild, free-ranging deer.
• Statewide hunting rule: State law currently allows the feeding of deer outside DMAs, but it is unlawful to take advantage of or make use of a feeding (baited) area while hunting.
• Elk feeding: Feeding of elk has been banned statewide since 1995.

Proper disposal of high-risk parts is important because CWD can be transmitted from deer to deer through both direct and indirect contact, and dumping high-risk parts in areas where free-ranging deer might be exposed to them increases the risk of spreading the disease. This is the same underlying logic that drives the baiting prohibition — any concentration of deer or deer-related materials in one location accelerates transmission.

If you maintain any kind of animal feeding setup on your property for non-deer species, be aware that attracting deer as a secondary effect inside a DMA can still put you in violation. Pennsylvania’s broader approach to animal management on private land is also covered in our guide to wildlife removal laws in Pennsylvania.

Carcass Transportation Rules in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania’s carcass transportation rules are among the most detailed in the country, and they changed significantly for the 2025–2026 season. Understanding what parts are “high-risk” and where you can legally move them is essential before you field-dress a single deer.

What Counts as a High-Risk Part?

Prohibited high-risk parts include the head, the skull plate with antlers attached if visible brain or spinal cord tissue is present, the spinal cord and backbone, spleen, and upper canine teeth if the root or other tissue is visible. Conversely, permitted low-risk parts include edible portions with no part of the spinal column or head attached, cleaned hides without the head, skull plate and antlers cleaned of all meat and brain tissue, upper canine teeth without soft tissue, and finished taxidermy mounts.

Importing Deer from Out of State

Hunters are prohibited from importing high-risk parts or materials from cervids harvested, taken, or killed in any state or country outside Pennsylvania. This blanket prohibition takes into account the wide range of testing and surveillance in other states — not all monitor the disease the same way — and simplifies things for hunters, who no longer have to remember different rules for different areas.

Moving Deer Within Pennsylvania (2025–2026 Rule Update)

The main change to CWD regulations for the coming season involves how hunters can dispose of deer in disease management areas. Previously, hunters could not take a deer harvested in a disease management area back home. Under the new rule, that is now allowed.

The Game Commission is now allowing hunters who harvest a deer, elk, or other cervid outside of Pennsylvania to take it directly to any Game Commission-approved processor or taxidermist anywhere in the state. If a hunter harvests a deer within a DMA or the Established Area and is transporting it home to process within that same DMA or EA, they can do so as long as the high-risk parts are disposed of through a trash service. Hunters who live outside a DMA or the EA can quarter the animal to take it home, free of high-risk parts.

It is unlawful to remove or export any high-risk parts or materials from cervids harvested, taken, or killed, including by vehicular accident, within any Disease Management or Established Area established within this Commonwealth — unless the specific exceptions above apply. Roadkill deer in a DMA fall under the same restrictions; see our overview of roadkill laws in Pennsylvania for more context on how the state handles vehicle-killed wildlife.

CWD Testing Requirements for Hunters in Pennsylvania

Testing for CWD is not mandatory for most recreational hunters in Pennsylvania, but the state has expanded access significantly to encourage voluntary participation.

Free Testing Through Collection Bins

Pennsylvania hunters worried about deer they have shot being infected with CWD can get their deer tested for free. For the first time in the 2025–2026 season, hunters can take the heads of deer shot anywhere in the state and deposit them in collection bins located throughout the 10 Disease Management Areas for free testing by the state Game Commission.

According to Game Commission spokesman Joshua Zimmerman, “Any deer head placed in a head bin will be tested, regardless of where in the state it was harvested.” Previously, those collection bins were reserved for the heads of deer taken within the management area where the bins were located. Hunters who shot deer outside a management area could submit samples on their own for testing to a laboratory for a fee.

In the 2024–25 sampling year, the Game Commission tested over 11,000 deer for CWD. Samples were collected through a variety of avenues, including placing heads in over 120 special management area collection bins. More than 4,400 heads were obtained just from those collection bins.

Transporting a Head for Testing

Some hunters may want to ensure that a deer they harvest is tested for CWD. Transporting a deer head for disease testing is a permitted exception to the prohibition on removing high-risk parts from a DMA. Before transport, the head should be placed in a plastic garbage bag, with that bag then placed in a second plastic garbage bag.

The Game Commission also recommends standard field-dressing precautions: wear rubber or latex gloves, bone out the meat, minimize handling of brain and spinal tissues, and wash hands and instruments thoroughly after field-dressing is complete. Request that your processor handles your animal individually without mixing meat from other animals.

Captive Cervid and Deer Farming Rules in Pennsylvania

If you operate a captive deer or elk facility in Pennsylvania, you face a separate and more demanding set of CWD obligations administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA). Two programs govern captive cervids: the voluntary Herd Certification Program (HCP) and the mandatory Herd Monitoring Program (HMP).

Herd Certification Program (HCP) — Voluntary

The HCP is a voluntary program of surveillance and related actions designed to determine the CWD status of farmed or captive deer and elk herds. Herds that complete five years of compliant participation in the program with no evidence of CWD will be designated as Certified. Herds start at first-year status and advance to the next level annually. After five consecutive years on the HCP, Certified status is achieved.

Herd Monitoring Program (HMP) — Mandatory

The HMP is a mandatory program of surveillance and related actions designed to monitor farmed or captive deer and elk herds for CWD. HMP requirements differ from the HCP, and a Certified status cannot be achieved through the HMP.

Both programs share a core set of requirements that operators must follow:

• Immediately report any cervid showing signs consistent with CWD — such as staggering, drooling, wasting, or unusual behavior — to the Bureau of Animal Health and Diagnostic Services (BAHDS).
• Test 50% of all CWD-susceptible species 12 months of age or older that die for any reason, including slaughter and harvest.
• Submit the obex and medial retropharyngeal lymph nodes in formalin within 30 days, or the whole carcass or head within three days of death. Apply two forms of identification to all cervids 12 months of age and older.
• Provide official identification for all samples submitted for CWD testing and all CWD-susceptible species moved to another premises. Complete official movement documents within 10 days of movement for animals entering the herd.
• Submit an inventory annually showing additions and deletions, the sources or destinations of each, plus an estimate of the total number of animals in the herd. Maintain a fence at a minimum height of 8 feet (10 feet is recommended).

The importation of high-risk parts or materials from cervids harvested outside Pennsylvania is limited to locations or facilities designated and approved in advance by the Commission to receive high-risk cervid parts for waste disposal, taxidermy, or butchering purposes. Approved locations and facilities are made known through public announcement, website, and other means reasonably intended to reach the widest audience.

Reporting Sick or Suspected Deer in Pennsylvania

Reporting is one of the most important tools Pennsylvania has for tracking and containing CWD. Both hunters and the general public have a role to play, and the state has made the process straightforward.

What to Watch For

CWD-affected deer often display a recognizable cluster of symptoms. If you observe any of the following in a wild or captive deer, you should report it immediately:

• Staggering, stumbling, or difficulty walking
• Drooling or difficulty swallowing
• Excessive thirst or urination
• Dramatic weight loss or a wasted, emaciated appearance
• Drooping ears or head held low
• Lack of fear of humans or unusual behavior around people
• Standing apart from other deer

How and Where to Report

For wild deer, contact the Pennsylvania Game Commission directly. You can reach your regional Game Commission office or report online through the PGC website at pgc.pa.gov. Game wardens may collect tissue samples and provide guidance on proper carcass handling.

For captive cervids, immediately report any cervid showing signs consistent with CWD — such as staggering, drooling, wasting, or unusual behavior — to the Bureau of Animal Health and Diagnostic Services (BAHDS). The PDA contact for CWD matters is the Bureau of Animal Health and Diagnostic Services in Harrisburg.

Hunters who harvest a deer that appears sick should not consume the meat and should contact the Game Commission before moving the carcass. Wildlife officials advise hunters in areas where CWD is known to exist not to shoot, handle, or consume any animal that appears sick, and to contact the state wildlife agency if they see or harvest an animal that appears sick.

Prompt reporting helps the Game Commission update DMA boundaries accurately and allocate testing resources where they are needed most. Pennsylvania’s commitment to animal health reporting extends across species — you can find related obligations in our guide to animal cruelty laws in Pennsylvania.

Penalties for CWD Violations in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania treats CWD violations seriously. The legal framework for enforcement runs through both the Game Commission and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, depending on whether the violation involves wild or captive cervids.

Criminal Penalties Under the Game and Wildlife Code

Violations of CWD restrictions may be prosecuted under Section 2102 or Section 2307 of the Game and Wildlife Code — relating to regulations and unlawful taking or possession of game or wildlife, respectively — and upon conviction, a person may be sentenced to pay the fine prescribed in the act.

Specific violations that can trigger prosecution include:

• Transporting high-risk carcass parts out of a DMA or Established Area without following approved disposal procedures
• Importing high-risk cervid parts from any out-of-state harvest into Pennsylvania
• Feeding deer or using urine-based attractants inside a DMA
• Failing to comply with carcass handling rules after harvesting a cervid by vehicular accident inside a DMA

License, Permit, and Facility Consequences

The Commission may deny, revoke, or suspend a location or facility’s authorization to receive high-risk cervid parts for waste disposal, taxidermy, butchering, or harvest reporting purposes from any cervid harvested, taken, or killed outside of Pennsylvania or within any Disease Management or Established Area. This means taxidermists, processors, and butchers who fail to comply with CWD rules risk losing their ability to operate as Game Commission cooperators.

Captive Cervid Facility Penalties

For captive deer and elk operations, violations of PDA-administered CWD rules can result in quarantine of the entire herd, mandatory depopulation of affected animals, and suspension or revocation of the facility’s operating permits. The PDA has quarantined facilities for up to five years following a confirmed positive CWD detection. These are not minor administrative outcomes — a single positive test on a captive deer can end a breeding or hunting preserve operation.

An approved location or facility must dispose of all high-risk cervid parts through a commercial refuse pickup service or other method approved by the Commission, and must keep and maintain records of their use of an approved disposal method, providing access to these records upon request. Failure to maintain those records is itself a violation.

If you are navigating the intersection of wildlife regulations and property rights in Pennsylvania, our guides to neighbors’ dog on your property laws and pet import laws in Pennsylvania cover related compliance topics. For anyone keeping animals on rural or agricultural properties, understanding the full scope of Pennsylvania’s animal laws — from kennel zoning rules to CWD facility requirements — is essential to staying on the right side of the law.