Chester County restricts high-risk exotic animals. Under Health Department §202, wolves, bats, skunks, foxes, raccoons, and bobcats may not be sold, imported, or housed in the county, and no high-risk wild animal may be kept without PA Game Commission permission.
This is a rare county-level rule with real teeth. The Chester County Health Department's Veterinary Public Health regulation (§202.7) prohibits animals recognized as high-risk for rabies transmission from being sold, distributed, imported, or housed in the county, other than by authorized zoos, exhibitions, and research institutions. High-risk animals are defined to include wolves, bats, skunks, foxes, raccoons, and bobcats. Importantly, no high-risk wild animal may be imported or housed anywhere in Chester County without first obtaining permission from the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Live turtles cannot be sold unless certified free of Salmonella. Beyond these county rules, exotic species like big cats, primates, and venomous reptiles are also regulated under PA Game Commission and Department of Agriculture permits.
Violating the county Health Department regulations is enforceable by the Department and its delegated animal-control officers; illegal wildlife possession also triggers PA Game Commission penalties.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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Backyard composting is legal in Chester County and needs no county permit. The county encourages it through its Solid Waste Authority. Nuisance-style limits ...
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Chester County sets no artificial-turf rule. Whether synthetic lawn is allowed, and any stormwater/impervious-surface conditions, is decided by your borough ...
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Chester County does not restrict native-plant or meadow landscaping. Native gardens are encouraged countywide, but a municipal weed-height ordinance can stil...
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Rainwater harvesting is legal in Chester County and across Pennsylvania. The state DEP has no permit program for private rain barrels or cisterns used for no...
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There are no permanent county watering rules. During a Governor-declared drought emergency, Pennsylvania law bans watering lawns statewide. Your public water...
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Chester County has no county weed ordinance. Noxious-weed and overgrowth nuisance rules are set and enforced by your borough, city, or township, which usuall...
See how Chester County's exotic pets rules stack up against other locations.
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