Scranton, PA Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

Chapter 169, Article II, Section 169-11, Vicious dogs; liability of owner; destruction on sight, does not classify dogs by breed. It applies to any person keeping, harboring or maintaining a dog that has bitten or attempted to bite a human being, holding that person liable and responsible for all resulting damages. Once a complaint is made and the Superintendent of Police investigates, the section authorizes the dog to be killed on sight wherever found, with dwelling houses the only place it is exempt from that authorization.

This sits alongside Section 169-12, which separately requires killing any dog bitten by a rabid dog or other rabid animal and disposing of it to prevent nuisance, enforced by police officers. Section 169-9, the general animal-control section added by Ordinance No. 49-1980, defines related terms used across the article: RESTRAINT means control by a leash or chain not exceeding six feet that prevents the dog from terrorizing or attacking people on sidewalks, and treats a dog that disturbs the neighborhood's peace through frequent howling, barking or yelping as a nuisance under Subsection C.

None of these provisions singles out any breed by name; the trigger throughout is documented biting behavior or a public-health rabies exposure, not the dog's breed.