Pennsylvania state law prohibits municipalities from enacting breed-specific legislation that restricts dogs solely based on their breed or appearance.
The Pennsylvania Dog Law (3 P.S. Sec. 459-507-A) explicitly preempts municipalities from passing or enforcing ordinances that target specific breeds of dogs. No city, township, or borough may declare any dog dangerous or restrict ownership based solely on breed. Instead, dangerous dog determinations must follow the statewide criteria in Section 502-A based on individual behavior. This preemption has been upheld in cases including Commonwealth v. Hake. Breed-neutral regulations and individual dangerous dog hearings remain valid.
Municipal breed-specific ordinances are unenforceable. Affected owners can challenge enforcement in court and may recover legal costs against municipalities enforcing invalid bans.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Harrisburg, PA
Harrisburg enforces citywide quiet hours from 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM under Harrisburg City Code Chapter 3-503. During these hours, sound audible at the property...
Harrisburg, PA
Harrisburg administers on-street parking under City Code Title 10 with day-to-day operations contracted to Park Harrisburg (SP+ Municipal Services). Resident...
Harrisburg, PA
Harrisburg caps residential fence height at 4 feet in front yards and 6 feet in side and rear yards under Zoning Code Ch. 7-301. Corner lots are subject to a...
Harrisburg, PA
Pennsylvania Act 43 of 2017 legalized consumer-grade (1.4G) fireworks statewide for adults 18+. Harrisburg uses its home rule authority and the 150-foot rule...
Harrisburg, PA
Harrisburg requires owners to maintain grass and weeds on residential lots at or below 10 inches in height under Property Maintenance Code Ch. 5-301. Violati...
See how Harrisburg's breed restrictions rules stack up against other locations.
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