Lower Merion, PA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)
Key Facts
- At-large ban
- No running loose on streets/others' property
- Waste cleanup
- Immediate removal abates the violation
- Exempt animals
- Guide, service, police and fire dogs
- Enforcement
- Animal Warden, officers, or affected citizens
- Citizen suit notice
- 30 days' written notice required first
- Penalty
- $50 to $1,000 fine per offense
Summary
Lower Merion Township bars anyone owning, harboring or keeping a dog or cat from letting it run at large on public streets or another person's property, and from letting it defecate on public or private property without cleanup, under § 90-53.A. Guide dogs and police or fire animals are exempt, and any affected citizen may sue to enforce the rule.
A. No person owning, harboring, keeping or in charge of any dog or cat shall: (1) Allow such dog or cat to run at large upon the public streets of this municipality or upon the property of others; or (2) Cause or allow a dog or cat to soil, defile or defecate upon any other person's private property without the permission of such other person or upon any public property. Where such person shall immediately remove all feces deposited by the animal and dispose of the same in a sanitary manner, the nuisance created by defecation shall be considered abated, and such person shall not be in violation of this section.
Full Breakdown
Section 90-53 of the Health Code, added in 1977 and last amended in 2008, prohibits any person owning, harboring, keeping or in charge of a dog or cat from allowing the animal to run at large upon the public streets of the Township or upon the property of others, and from allowing it to soil, defile or defecate on another person's private property without permission or on public property, unless the owner immediately removes and sanitarily disposes of the waste, in which case the nuisance is considered abated and no violation occurs.
Subsection B exempts guide dogs accompanying a blind person, dogs assisting other physically handicapped persons, and animals used in police or fire activities. Enforcement under Subsection C runs through the Animal Warden, the Animal Warden's authorized representatives, any Township officer, or any affected party, and the section makes clear the Township is only assuming a general-welfare duty, not accepting money-damages liability to anyone claiming injury, and that a violation is not negligence per se. Subsection D lets any citizen with an adversely affected interest bring a civil action against a violator on their own behalf, but only after giving the Director of Building and Planning and the alleged violator 30 days' written notice, and not if the Township is already diligently prosecuting the same violation.
Violations & Fines
Letting a dog or cat run at large on public streets or someone else's property, or failing to clean up after it defecates on another's property or in public, violates § 90-53.A and is enforceable by the Animal Warden, any Township officer, or an affected citizen after 30 days' notice under Subsection D. As a Health Code violation it carries the general penalty at § 90-54, a fine of $50 to $1,000 per offense, with continuing violations punishable day by day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do dogs have to be on a leash in Lower Merion Township?
Am I in violation if my dog defecates on someone's lawn?
Who enforces the dog and cat at-large rule in Lower Merion Township?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lower Merion
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