How Philadelphia Handles Animal Ordinances: A Practical Guide
Philadelphia maintains 178 local ordinances across all categories, and 12 of those deal specifically with animal ordinances. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Philadelphia falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Philadelphia Code Section 10-109 bars animal shelters from releasing a dog or cat for adoption, and animal retailers from selling one, unless a licensed veterinarian has sterilized the animal first. Narrow medical, foster-care, and working-dog exceptions apply, and retailers that sell unsterilized pets can be fined and shut down for up to a year.
Key details: Mandate: shelters/retailers must sterilize before releasing pets. Governing section: Philadelphia Code § 10-109(1)-(2). Minimum fine: $500, Class III offense. Retailer penalty: up to 1-year operations suspension. Record retention: 2 years for retailers.
A shelter that adopts out, or a retailer that sells, an unsterilized dog or cat outside the medical, foster-care, or exempted categories commits a Class III violation under Section 10-115(1)(a), carrying a minimum fine of $500, well above the chapter's usual $150-$300 range. Retailers also risk a discretionary Animal Control Agency order suspending operations for up to a year from the date of the violation.
This is one of the stricter rules in Philadelphia's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Philadelphia zoning files animal hospitals under "Boarding and Other Services," a use marked not-allowed in every commercial and residential district and permitted only by special exception in I-1/I-2 industrial zones.
Key details: Use type: Boarding and Other Services. Commercial districts (CMX/CA): Not allowed. Residential districts: Not allowed. I-1 / I-2 industrial: Special exception only. Approval body: Zoning Board of Adjustment.
Operating an animal hospital in a district where the use is marked "N," or in I-1/I-2 without an approved special exception, triggers a Department of Licenses and Inspections cease-use order and zoning code enforcement.
This is one of the stricter rules in Philadelphia's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.
Chickens & Livestock
Philadelphia generally prohibits keeping chickens, poultry, and livestock; farm animals (other than pigs) are allowed only on parcels of three or more acres, plus narrow exceptions like slaughterhouses, zoos, and vet clinics.
Key details: Code Section: Phila. Code Sec. 10-112. Definition section: Phila. Code Sec. 10-101(8). Minimum lot for farm animals: 3 or more acres. Pigs: Banned even on 3+ acre lots. Enacting ordinance: Bill No. 040566 (2004).
Keeping prohibited farm animals violates Phila. Code Sec. 10-112 and is enforced by ACCT Philly and the Department of Public Health with code penalties and removal of the animals.
This is one of the stricter rules in Philadelphia's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.
Cat Rules
Philadelphia exempts sterilized cats from its at-large and leash law, and lets Animal Control sterilize and release feral cats back to their colony.
Key details: Sterilized cats: Exempt from leash/at-large rule. Other animals leash length: Max 6 feet. Feral cats: Sterilize-and-release to colony allowed. Cat licensing: No city license required. Enforcement: Animal Control Agency / police.
Non-sterilized cat or other animal at large without a leash: seizure of the animal and delivery to an Animal Control Agency-approved confinement facility.
If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Philadelphia gives residents more flexibility on cat rules.
Pet Store Rules
Philadelphia pet shops cannot sell a dog or cat unless it comes from an animal care facility or rescue organization, and no dog or cat under eight weeks old may be sold.
Key details: Pet shops: must source rescue/shelter dogs and cats. Minimum sale age: 8 weeks old. Fine: $150–$300 per violation. Enacted: Bill No. 160013 (2016). Enforced by: Animal Control Agency.
Fine of $150 to $300 per violation under § 10-115's default penalty (not one of the enumerated Class III offenses). The Department of Licenses and Inspections or Animal Control Agency may also deny, revoke, or suspend the shop's license, or order the facility closed.
This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Philadelphia actively enforces its pet store rules requirements.
Bird Protection
Philadelphia's Animal chapter flatly bars capturing, wounding or killing any bird within the city, unless done in accordance with Title 6 of the Code. A first violation draws a fine of $150 to $300 under the chapter's general penalty section, and a second offense becomes a Repeat Violation carrying up to $300 in fines, up to 90 days in jail, or both.
Key details: Prohibited acts: capture, wound, or kill any bird. Statutory exception: activity allowed under Title 6. First violation fine: $150-$300. Repeat violation: up to $300 or 90 days, or both. Enforced by: Animal Control Agency, Police.
A first violation of the ban on capturing, wounding or killing a bird carries a fine of $150 to $300 under Section 10-115(1). Because Section 10-111 is not excluded from the chapter's Repeat Violation clause, a second or later violation is charged as a separate offense and can draw a fine of up to $300, imprisonment of up to 90 days, or both, under Section 10-115(2).
Pet Limits
Philadelphia caps a residence at no more than twelve adult dogs or cats combined, of which no more than two dogs and two cats may be unsterilized, unless it is a registered kennel or has a waiver.
Key details: Code Section: Phila. Code Sec. 10-103(8). Maximum dogs/cats combined: 12 adult animals. Unsterilized cap: 2 dogs + 2 cats. Enacting ordinance: Bill No. 120049 (2012). Exemptions: Registered kennels; agency waiver.
Keeping more than the permitted number of animals without kennel registration or a waiver is a violation of Chapter 10-100, enforced by ACCT Philly with code penalties and possible impoundment.
Pet Groomer Rules
Philadelphia Code Section 10-103(6) makes every groomer, along with veterinarians, animal shelters, retailers, and boarding kennels, a dog-licensing agent for the city's Animal Control Agency. Subsection (7)(b) then requires groomers to check a dog's license before providing services and to report unlicensed dogs, or collect the license fee themselves.
Key details: Groomers are dog-licensing agents: under § 10-103(6). Processing fee cap: $2.00 per application. Verification duty: check license before servicing a dog. License fee: $40 unsterilized, $16 sterilized. Violation fine: $150-$300 under § 10-115(1).
A groomer that provides services without checking a dog's license, or that fails to take an application or collect the fee from an owner who can't prove licensure, is subject to the Chapter 10-100 default penalty of $150 to $300 per violation under Section 10-115(1). Because Section 10-103 is excluded from the repeat-violation enhancement, each violation is charged at the same base fine rather than an escalating amount.
Breed Restrictions
Philadelphia has no breed-specific dog ban. Pennsylvania's Dog Law preempts breed-specific legislation, expressly barring any local ordinance from prohibiting or limiting a specific breed of dog.
Key details: Local breed ban: None (preempted). State preemption: 3 P.S. Sec. 459-507-A(c). Dangerous-dog control: Phila. Code Sec. 10-104(2). Insurance protection: No breed-based coverage denial.
Not applicable; breed-specific local bans are preempted and unenforceable. Individual dogs deemed dangerous are regulated under the state Dog Law and Phila. Code Sec. 10-104.
Philadelphia is more permissive than most cities when it comes to breed restrictions. That said, there are still limits.
Dog Leash Laws
Dogs and most other animals off their owner's property must be on a leash no longer than six feet, with a person able to control them.
Key details: Leash length limit: 6 feet, excluding handgrip. Exempt animal: Sterilized cats. Exempt from leash, needs tack: Horses (rein, bit, halter). First unsterilized-animal fine: $500 minimum. Repeat violation (12 mo.): $750 minimum, forfeiture possible.
First offense with a sterilized animal: fine up to $150. Unsterilized animal: Class III offense, minimum $500 fine (waivable if the owner allows the Animal Control Agency to sterilize it). A second unsterilized-animal violation within 12 months carries a minimum $750 fine and the animal may be forfeited.
Exotic Pets
Philadelphia Code § 10-106 bans keeping wild animals, lions, wolves, venomous snakes, alligators, primates, anywhere except zoos, circuses, or licensed educational facilities, with narrow grandfather licensing for animals owned before the ordinance passed.
Key details: Governing section: Philadelphia Code § 10-106. Rule: Wild/exotic animals banned as pets. Grandfather license fee: $50/year, non-renewable at replacement. Penalty: $150-$300 fine per § 10-115. Enforcer: Animal Control Agency.
Violating § 10-106 falls under Philadelphia's general animal-code penalty in § 10-115: a fine of $150 to $300 per offense, enforced by Animal Control Agency officers who can also seize the animal.
This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Philadelphia actively enforces its exotic pets requirements.
Wildlife Feeding
Philadelphia Code Section 10-110 makes it unlawful to feed any pigeon in a public street, square, park, or other place of public resort. The ban is enforced under Chapter 10-100's general animal penalties, with a $150 to $300 fine and a steeper repeat-violation charge for anyone cited more than once.
Key details: Prohibited act: feeding pigeons in public places. Governing section: Philadelphia Code § 10-110(1). First-offense fine: $150-$300 under § 10-115(1). Repeat offense: up to $300 or 90 days jail. Enforcing agency: Animal Control Agency / L&I.
A first citation for feeding pigeons in a public street, square, park, or other public resort carries a fine of $150 to $300 under Section 10-115(1). A second or later citation is charged as a separate Repeat Violation under Section 10-115(2), punishable by up to $300 or up to 90 days in jail, or both, for each repeat offense, whether or not the earlier violation has been adjudicated yet.
This is one of the stricter rules in Philadelphia's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.
The Bottom Line
Philadelphia is tougher than many cities when it comes to animal ordinances. Out of the 12 rules covered here, 6 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Philadelphia, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.
Keep in mind that Philadelphia can amend these rules at any council meeting. For the most current version of any rule mentioned here, check the specific ordinance page, where we track updates as they happen.