Bensalem, PA Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Breed-specific ban
- None in Bensalem Township Code
- Vicious dog test
- 3+ bites, or unprovoked off-property attack (§80-1)
- Also vicious if
- Known propensity to bite or attack (§80-1)
- Bite/vicious-dog procedure
- Governed by PA Dog Law §§459-501(d), 459-502 (§80-7)
- Penalties
- Set by Dog Law §459-903, per §80-12
- Enforced by
- Township animal control officer, under Police Chief
Summary
Bensalem Township has no breed-specific dog ban. Chapter 80 instead defines a 'vicious dog' by conduct: any dog that has bitten three or more people, has viciously attacked a person off its owner's property without cause, or is known to have a propensity to bite or attack. Section 80-7 hands vicious-dog and bite incidents to the Commonwealth's Dog Law rather than setting a separate local procedure.
Vicious dog or dogs. Any dog or dogs that have bitten three or more people or which have viciously and without cause attacked a human being when off the premises of the owner or keeper of said dog or one which is known or should be known to have a propensity to bite or attack people or other animals. ... Sec. 80-7. - Vicious dogs; bites. Provisions regarding vicious dogs and incidents of dog biting are contained in the Dog Law, 3 P.S. §§ 459-501(d) and 459-502.
Full Breakdown
Section 80-1 defines the animal control officer as a Township employee sworn in as a special officer under the Chief of Police's supervision, and the dog pound as any facility the Board of Supervisors designates, within or outside Township limits, for impounding dogs seized for a Chapter 80 violation. Against that backdrop, the chapter's 'vicious dog' definition sets the only local standard for dangerous-dog conduct: a dog qualifies if it has bitten three or more people, has attacked a person off its owner's or keeper's property viciously and without cause, or is known or should be known to have a propensity to bite or attack people or other animals.
No section of Chapter 80 lists or restricts any breed by name. Section 80-7 then routes what happens after a dog meets that definition, and any biting incident, to the Pennsylvania Dog Law, 3 P.S. §§ 459-501(d) and 459-502, rather than spelling out a Township hearing, muzzling order or quarantine procedure of its own. The same pattern runs through the rest of Article I: Section 80-8 sends seizure and detention of dogs at large to Dog Law Sections 459-302 and 459-303, and Section 80-12 sends fines and penalties for a Chapter 80 violation to Dog Law Section 459-903.
Related conduct is covered elsewhere in the chapter rather than through a breed list: Section 80-5 bars a dog from committing a nuisance on public or other private property, and Section 80-6 separately addresses barking and howling as a noise nuisance.
Violations & Fines
Bensalem's own code sets no separate local fine for a vicious-dog declaration or a bite; Section 80-7 and Section 80-12 route bite incidents and Chapter 80 fines and penalties to the Commonwealth's Dog Law, 3 P.S. §§ 459-501(d), 459-502 and 459-903. Enforcement on the ground runs through the Township's animal control officer, a Township employee sworn in as a special officer and supervised by the Chief of Police.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Bensalem Township ban pit bulls or any other dog breed?
How does Bensalem Township define a vicious dog?
What happens after a dog is found vicious in Bensalem Township?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bensalem
How Bensalem compares: Cities with No Dog Breed Restrictions·Compare Bensalem to another location·View the Pennsylvania animal ordinances overview
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