Allentown, PA Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 163-13.A, keeping certain animals prohibited
- Allowed locations
- Zoo, vet clinic, humane society, licensed circus
- Covered families
- Canids, felids, bears, mustelids, primates, venomous snakes/fish
- Sale/transfer
- Banned, narrow pre-1981 grandfather clause
- Court fine
- $50 to $1,000 per offense
- Disposal
- Removal, surrender, or humane disposition
Summary
Allentown bans keeping any wild or exotic animal outside a zoo, veterinary clinic, humane society, or circus with adequate enclosures. The list covers wild canids, big cats, bears, weasels, raccoons, primates, venomous snakes, crocodilians, and venomous fish or invertebrates.
Wild or exotic animals prohibited. No person shall keep a wild or exotic animal in any place other than a zoological park, veterinary hospital or clinic, humane society, or circus, sideshow, amusement show or facility used for educational or scientific purposes, which provides proper cages, fences and other protective devices adequate to prevent such animal from escaping or injuring the public.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4995055; v49 updated 2026-06-26; through 06-26-2026).
Full Breakdown
A of Chapter 163 prohibits keeping a wild or exotic animal anywhere except a zoological park, veterinary hospital or clinic, humane society, or circus, sideshow, amusement show, or educational or scientific facility that provides cages, fences, and other protective devices adequate to prevent the animal from escaping or injuring the public. The definition in § 163-1 spells out what counts: every canid except domesticated dogs (wolves, foxes, coyotes, dingoes), every felid except common domestic cats (lions, pumas, tigers, leopards, ocelots), all bears, all mustelids (weasels, martens, mink, ferrets, badgers, otters), raccoons and civets, all subhuman primates, porcupines and skunks, venomous and constricting snakes and venomous lizards, alligators, caimans, crocodiles and gavials, and venomous fish, piranha, and venomous invertebrates, along with any other animal the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania controls or federal regulations under Title 50 prohibit.
B separately bars selling, offering for sale, adopting out, exchanging, or transferring a wild or exotic animal, with a narrow grandfather clause for people who owned one before the article passed, so long as the new possessor after any transfer is not an Allentown resident. D.
Violations & Fines
Keeping, selling, or transferring a wild or exotic animal in violation of § 163-13 is enforced under the article's general penalty at § 163-23: a court fine of not less than $50 nor more than $1,000 per offense, or imprisonment of up to 90 days, with each day of continued violation a separate offense. The City Official may also seize and impound the animal and, if disposed of, direct that it be released to the wild, a zoo, or otherwise handled humanely at the owner's expense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep a pet fox or wolf-dog in Allentown?
Is it legal to sell an exotic snake in Allentown?
What happens to an illegally kept exotic animal in Allentown?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Allentown
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