Frequently Asked Questions

No person is permitted to discharge any firearm, air gun, spring gun, or other implement that impels with force a pellet or projectile of any kind.

The Town has an ordinance that prohibits any person, firm, or corporation from distributing advertising materials at a residence by placing such material at a residence, on the property, or on the mailbox of the person owning or occupying the residence unless the person, firm, or corporation, its agents, servants, employees, and/or independent contractor distributing such materials is doing so at the resident's request or through the use of the United States mail service.

Wild or dangerous animals are those animals that are considered wild, fierce, dangerous, noxious, venomous, or naturally inclined to do harm, such as bears, cats (except domestic cats), crocodilians, porcupines, primates, raccoons, reptiles, spiders, and weasels. Their possession is prohibited by ordinance.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania requires the owner of any dog to keep at all times such dog either confined within the premises of the owner, firmly secured by means of a collar and chain or other device so that it cannot stray beyond the premises on which it is secured, or under the reasonable voice control of some person. Dogs are also required to be licensed, quarantined if they bite, and vaccinated. Dog license applications are available at the police station.

The Town requires any transient vendor to obtain a permit. You may ask to see the permit that has been issued by the Town. Transient vendors may operate with their permit from Monday through Saturday, between the hours of 9 am and sunset. Persons who go onto residential property within the Town to solicit funds must also be registered with the Town. They are required to have an identification card issued by the Town. Their hours of operation are as follows:

• 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Saturday, October 1 to April 30.
• 9 am to 9 pm, Monday through Saturday, May 1 to September 30.

Groups or individuals that solicit funds on business properties within the Town are also required to have a Town issued identification card.

For more information, view our vendors page.

Applications are available at the police department, at a notary's office, or through the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. After it is obtained, your family doctor fills it out and it is returned to the Department of Transportation in Harrisburg. If you qualify, the Department of Transportation then issues the placard.

Municipal ordinance prohibits loud, unusual, and unnecessary noise that annoys, injures, or endangers the comfort, repose, health, or welfare of nearby residents or visitors. The ordinance is not applicable to the use of lawnmowers, chainsaws, and other mechanical or motorized tools commonly used on residential property, provided the same shall only be used during daylight hours, but not before 8 am, prevailing time, and shall not be used in the operation of any business on the property. The ordinance is not applicable to noise created by normal land development between 6 am and 10 pm.

Anyone over the age of 18 can purchase fireworks. Consumers can purchase and use "Class C" or "consumer-grade" fireworks that include firecrackers, Roman Candles, bottle rockets, and similar fireworks that contain a maximum of 50 milligrams of explosive material ("Display fireworks," which are classified as including salutes that contain more than two grains or 130 milligrams of explosive materials, and professional-grade aerial shells containing more than 60 grams of pyrotechnic compositions, are still only to be used by professionals with a permit from the municipality where the display will take place.)

They cannot be ignited or discharged:

1. On a public or private property without the express permission of the property owner.
2. From or within a motor vehicle or building, toward a motor vehicle or building.
3. Within 150 feet of an occupied structure.
4. While the person is under the influence of alcohol, a controlled substance, or another drug.

Representatives of the police department are available to speak with neighborhood or civic groups on a regular basis. In addition, officers are scheduled to present a variety of programs in all of the schools on a regular basis. Tours of the police station are available for scout groups. Call the Chief of Police to arrange for a speaker.

Typically, handicapped parking spaces are designated by the posting of signs and the universal handicapped symbol painted in blue on the pavement. The painting of the symbol in the space is not enough; the signs have to be present.

The Town of McCandless has developed an Emergency Management Plan to assist and protect residents should a catastrophe occur. All emergency service providers are an integral part of the Town's Emergency Management Plan. The plan includes provisions for warning notifications to be transmitted to residents via available media outlets, such as KDKA radio and by public safety vehicles equipped with public address systems.

The plan also offers provisions of food, water, and shelter to emergency or disaster related events. Fire Marshal Jeff Wissner is the emergency management coordinator for the Town. Any resident who has a question pertaining to emergency management situations or who has an interest in assisting, identifying, and providing resources that may be used during emergency situations, can call him at 412-364-0616, ext. 128.

For more on the Town's emergency management, view our emergency management page.

The motor vehicle must display a handicapped registration plate on the rear of the vehicle or a placard from the rear view mirror, or if not the mirror, then somewhere on the dashboard.

All accidents should be reported; however, it is not a requirement. Accidents involving death, or personal injury, or if one or more vehicles cannot be driven from the scene under its own power, must be reported to the police department in the jurisdiction where the accident occurred. Fender-bender-type accidents in which there are no injuries and in which the vehicles are operable are not required to be reported; however, your insurance provider may require a police report. The rule of thumb would be to report all accidents in McCandless to the police.

• 911 is for emergencies.
• 412-473-3056 is for any other police calls.

You are to use 911 for any Fire, Police, or Emergency Medical Services (EMS) that you may need. There is a non-emergency number for Allegheny County's Dispatch Center which is 412-473-3056 and should be used for non-emergency and non-life-threatening situations, such as barking dog complaints or general questions. Please do not call the police station when you need the police to respond to an incident.

Several years ago 911 was created to streamline the dispatching of all emergency responders by developing 911 Dispatch Centers across the country. The Allegheny County 911 Dispatch Center dispatches all calls for police, fire, and EMS in Allegheny County by prioritizing calls so that true emergencies always receive priority over non-emergency calls. In an effort to make sure we do not miss any request for service, we have been trying ever since to re-train residents to use the County 911 Dispatch Center for any police assistance. In spite of our recurring efforts, people are still calling or leaving messages at the police station when they need police assistance, which is delaying our response and in some cases, they are calling the station even for emergencies. The police station is not equipped with the proper dispatching phones and if you call the station, we have to direct you to hang-up and dial the County 911 Dispatch Center. The County 911 Dispatch Center has many features in place to facilitate proper emergency response such as call recording/tracking, number identification and officer tracking so that police response is expedited most efficiently.

Please know that you are always welcome to come to the police station when you need advice or to file a report. The police department is always open and there is always an officer assigned to take walk-in reports. If the police station appears unattended after normal business hours, there is a wall-phone in the lobby that directly calls into the County 911 Dispatch Center. The dispatcher will contact the appropriate officer to respond to assist you at the station. We do have a voice mail system at the station, but sometimes it takes the officers hours before they are able to retrieve those messages because they are generally out in the community responding to calls, where their service is most needed.