Bristol Township, PA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Section 57-3 B of the Bristol Township Code, part of Chapter 57 adopted as Ord. No. 19-86, sets the leash rule. No animal can run at large in the Township and all animals must be kept on a leash. The owner or custodian of an animal found at large is in violation, and an owner cannot hand an animal to anyone not physically capable of maintaining effective control of it. Supervised formal obedience classes, shows and formally sanctioned field trials are exempt. Section 57-1 defines at large as an animal off the owner's premises that is not secured by a leash or lead or under the control of a responsible person and obedient to that person's commands.

In public, the details are specific: the person walking the dog must be able to control it, the leash must be strong enough to contain the dog, and an animal leash must not exceed six feet in length (§ 57-3 B(4)). Dogs are allowed in Township parks only at places approved for dogs, and even there they cannot be at large (§ 57-3 B(2)).

Other duties in § 57-3 sit alongside the leash rule. An owner cannot let an animal trespass on another owner's premises without permission and carries the burden of proving permission. Barking, baying and yipping that amounts to continuous noise or noise after nightfall counts as a nuisance. Waste must be removed immediately and disposed of in a sanitary manner when an animal fouls the property of another, a term that includes Township and public property, and an owner must not let fecal matter accumulate on the owner's own property for more than 24 hours.

A Township official, defined to include the Animal Control Officer, the Code Enforcement Officer, police officers and representatives of the Bucks County Board of Health, must seize and detain any animal found running at large. Under § 57-2 a dog six months or older must be licensed by the County of Bucks and wear a collar and license tag.