Montgomery County does not regulate livestock keeping — whether you can keep horses, goats, cattle, sheep or pigs is a zoning decision made by your borough or township under the PA Municipalities Planning Code. Suburban districts commonly prohibit livestock; agricultural zones allow it.
Pennsylvania counties do not zone, so there is no county livestock rule. Under the Municipalities Planning Code (Act 247, 53 P.S. §10101 et seq.), each municipality decides which zoning districts permit livestock, minimum lot sizes (often several acres), animal-density limits, and setbacks for barns, manure storage and pasture. In heavily developed eastern Montgomery County, most residential districts bar livestock; western and northern townships with agricultural zoning allow it, sometimes tied to the property's Act 319 (Clean and Green) or Agricultural Security Area status. There is no county livestock permit. Check your parcel's zoning district and the municipal zoning ordinance's 'animal husbandry' or 'agricultural use' provisions before acquiring animals.
Enforced by the municipal zoning officer — violation notices, daily fines, and orders to remove animals under each municipality's ordinance.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Montgomery County, PA
Montgomery County does not ban backyard composting; home composting is allowed. The county administers a Solid Waste Management Plan and mandatory municipal ...
Montgomery County, PA
Montgomery County has no ordinance addressing artificial turf. There is no county ban and no county permit. Whether synthetic turf is allowed, and any imperv...
Montgomery County, PA
Montgomery County does not require or forbid native landscaping. There is no lawn mandate. The county and its municipalities encourage native, pollinator-fri...
Montgomery County, PA
Montgomery County has no ordinance restricting rainwater collection, and Pennsylvania does not limit rain barrels. Capturing rain for outdoor irrigation is a...
Montgomery County, PA
Montgomery County does not set a watering schedule. Pennsylvania is not under permanent western-style outdoor-watering rules. During dry spells, the PA Depar...
Montgomery County, PA
Montgomery County sets no countywide weed ordinance. Noxious weeds and overgrown vegetation are a municipal property-maintenance nuisance handled by each bor...
See how Montgomery County's livestock rules stack up against other locations.
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