New Cell Phone Law in PA: Fines, Exceptions, and 2026 Start

The new cell phone law in Pennsylvania, called Paul Miller’s Law, makes it illegal to hold or physically support a phone or similar device while driving. Police have been issuing written warnings since June 5, 2025. Starting June 6, 2026, a violation carries a $50 fine plus court costs, and officers can pull you over for that reason alone.¹

What Counts as Holding a Phone

The rule is physical. You can’t grip, cradle, or rest a phone anywhere on your body while driving. That includes pinning a phone between your ear and shoulder, letting it sit on your lap while you read a text, or holding it up to shoot video. If the device is touching you while you use it, you’re in violation.²

Two related actions are also prohibited: pressing more than one button to dial or answer, and reaching for a device in a way that pulls you out of your normal seated, seatbelted position. Lunging toward a phone that slid onto the passenger-side floor counts.²

A detail that surprises people: being temporarily stopped doesn’t help you. Red lights, stop signs, and standstill traffic all count as driving under this law. Engine running, on a roadway, you’re covered.²

Which Devices Are Covered

The statute uses the term “interactive mobile device,” and it’s written broadly. Cell phones, smartphones, tablets, portable computers, and any similar handheld device capable of calls, texting, email, browsing, gaming, photos, or video all qualify.²

Some things are excluded. Standalone GPS units, equipment physically or electronically integrated into the vehicle, and communication devices permanently affixed to mass transit vehicles, buses, or school buses are outside the ban. Your car’s built-in navigation screen is fine to use.²

How to Use Your Phone Legally

You don’t have to turn the phone off. You have to stop touching it. A few compliant options:

Put the phone in a dash, vent, or windshield mount so you can glance at directions without picking it up. The law doesn’t dictate mount placement; any secure mount that keeps the device off your body works.
Use a single button tap to accept or end a call, as long as the phone is mounted and not in your hand.
Use voice commands to call, text, or play audio.
Route calls through Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, or a Bluetooth earpiece so the phone itself stays untouched.

Pulling Over Is Legal

If you need to type an address, take a call by hand, or reply to a message, you can pull off the road to do it. The law expressly allows handheld use once you’ve moved to the side of or off the highway and stopped in a location where the vehicle can safely remain stationary.²

Emergencies

You can always pick up your phone to contact law enforcement or emergency services when needed to prevent injury to people or property. Calling 911, the fire department, or paramedics during an emergency is protected, hands-free or not.²

The Fine and What It Does to Your Record

A violation is a summary offense with a $50 fine, plus court costs and fees that vary by county. Those add-ons can push the real out-of-pocket total noticeably above $50.²

For non-commercial drivers, a conviction carries zero points and is not recorded on your driving record. A single ticket shouldn’t directly move your insurance rate the way a speeding or reckless-driving conviction would.²

The bigger enforcement shift is that this is a primary offense. An officer who sees you holding a phone can stop you for that alone. Under the older texting-only ban, police often needed a separate reason to pull a driver over. That’s no longer the case.²

Warnings Now, Tickets Starting June 6, 2026

The rollout has two phases:

June 5, 2025: The law took effect. Police could stop drivers for handheld use but issued written warnings only.
June 6, 2026: The warning period ends. Officers can issue summary citations carrying the $50 fine.

A written warning during the first year came with no financial penalty. After June 6, 2026, that grace period is over.¹

Higher Stakes for Commercial Drivers

The base fine is still $50, but a handheld violation goes on a CDL holder’s record as a non-sanction violation, and using a handheld phone while driving a commercial vehicle is classified as a serious traffic offense.²

Repeat convictions trigger CDL disqualification:

Two serious traffic offenses within three years: 60-day disqualification.
Three or more within three years: 120-day disqualification.

Federal penalties can also apply, with fines reaching $2,750 for drivers and $11,000 for employers who require or allow drivers to use handheld devices behind the wheel.³

When a Phone Violation Turns Into a Felony

The $50 fine is what you pay for holding the phone. Causing a crash while doing it is a different situation.

A driver who causes serious bodily injury while violating a traffic law, including the hands-free rule, can be charged with aggravated assault by vehicle under 75 Pa.C.S. § 3732.1, a third-degree felony. A conviction that also involves violating the hands-free law or the texting ban carries a sentencing enhancement of up to two additional years.⁴

If someone dies, the charge is homicide by vehicle under 75 Pa.C.S. § 3732, also a third-degree felony. A simultaneous hands-free conviction adds an enhancement of up to five years of confinement.⁴

1
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Paul Miller’s Law Effective June 5
2
Department of Transportation. Distracted Driving
3
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Disqualifications and Traffic Offenses Frequently Asked Questions
4
Pennsylvania General Assembly. Pennsylvania Code Title 75 3732.1 – Aggravated Assault by Vehicle