Abington, PA Animal Ordinances: Bird Protection (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 115-1A(21)-(22)
- Enforcing agency
- Department of Parks and Recreation
- Maximum fine
- $100 plus costs of prosecution
- Maximum jail term
- 5 days in township lockup
- Sanctuary exception
- Leashed pets allowed at Meadowbrook Bird Sanctuary
- Chapter rewritten
- In its entirety, 8-8-1963
Summary
In Abington Township, killing, injuring or disturbing birds, their nests or eggs inside any township park or playground is banned outright under Code § 115-1A(21)-(22). The rule also protects fish and waterfowl in park streams, pools and ponds. Violators face the same summary-offense penalty as any other Chapter 115 violation: up to a $100 fine and five days in the township lockup.
(21) No person shall annoy, strike, injure, maim or kill any animals or birds in a park or playground. (22) No person shall disturb the fish or water fowl in the streams, pools or ponds, or birds, nests or eggs in any part of a park or playground.
Full Breakdown
Abington Township Code § 115-1A(21) makes it unlawful for any person to "annoy, strike, injure, maim or kill any animals or birds" anywhere inside a township park or playground, and § 115-1A(22) separately bars disturbing "the fish or water fowl in the streams, pools or ponds, or birds, nests or eggs in any part of a park or playground." Both provisions sit inside the same numbered list of park rules in Chapter 115, Parks, Playgrounds and School District Grounds, which the Board of Commissioners adopted in 1939 and rewrote in its entirety in 1963.
The chapter's general animal ban at § 115-1A(9) otherwise keeps pets out of parks altogether, with one carve-out: § 115-1A(9)(a), added by Ordinance No. 1901 in 2003, lets leashed animals be walked specifically on the township property known as the Meadowbrook Bird Sanctuary, provided the handler removes any feces. The Department of Parks and Recreation, per § 115-2A, enforces the park regulations and exercises general supervision over persons using the parks and playgrounds; the Abington Township Police Department has enforcement power over the parallel school-grounds rules in § 115-1B.
A person cited under § 115-1A(21) or (22) can also lose any park permit already issued, since § 115-4A allows revocation of a permit for violating any Chapter 115 regulation, on top of the criminal penalty in § 115-4B.
Violations & Fines
Abington Township Code § 115-4B makes any violation of the Chapter 115 park regulations, including the bird and wildlife protections in § 115-1A(21) and (22), a summary offense. A conviction before a District Justice carries a fine of up to $100 plus the costs of prosecution, and unpaid fines can mean up to five days in the township lockup. The Department of Parks and Recreation can also revoke any park permit the violator holds under § 115-4A.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I bring my dog to an Abington Township park?
What happens if someone disturbs a bird's nest in an Abington park?
Who enforces the bird protection rule in Abington's parks?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Abington
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