Haverford, PA Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)

Chapter 49 of the Haverford Township Code, adopted by the Board of Commissioners on June 10, 2013 as Ord. No. 2696, regulates cats mainly through nuisance and harboring rules. Section 49-3 makes the owner, or any person harboring or having possession, custody or control of a cat or feral cat, answerable if the animal commits a nuisance, meaning defecation or urination, on a gutter, street, driveway, alley, curb or sidewalk, on the floors or stairways of a building frequented by the public or shared by tenants, on the outside walls or walkways of a building abutting a public street or park, on public park grounds, or on any private property other than the owner's. The standard is knowingly or negligently permitting it.

The definitions in § 49-1 matter. A feral cat is any cat born outside domestic captivity or which has strayed from it and is unsocialized to humans, exhibits fear of humans, is resistant to contact with humans, or lives outside of a human dwelling. An owner includes anyone who feeds or shelters an animal or permits it to remain on or about the premises. At large means a cat or other domestic animal that is unleashed on property open to the public, or on private property not owned or leased by its owner without permission.

Section 49-11 bars any owner or person from feeding, harboring or sheltering feral cats and wild animals, and from leaving food or water unattended where it can attract them. Section 49-12 requires a state dog license for canines over six months of age and a Township license for backyard chickens; it does not name cats. Section 49-16 does cover cats through the word animal: owners arrange rabies vaccination by a licensed veterinarian once the animal reaches three months of age, with boosters at least every three years after the first year.

The Animal Control Officer, a sworn officer appointed by the Township Manager and supervised by the Police Department, enforces the chapter, and § 49-15 lets police or the officer take animals running at large for confinement.