Animal Ordinances in Bethlehem, PA (2026)
8 verified animal ordinances for Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Bethlehem's Codified Ordinances regulate animals primarily in Article 1159 (Animals) of the Business Regulation and Taxation Code. Section 1159.07 expressly prohibits keeping cattle, sheep, swine, and goats within City limits, and Sections 1159.09-1159.10 impose coop and distance requirements on fowl that are otherwise tolerated. Section 1159.04 requires a permit for any household keeping more than six animals. Pennsylvania has not preempted municipal livestock-keeping rules — Article 1159 controls inside the City of Bethlehem.
Bethlehem PA Chickens, Fowl and Livestock Rules
Heavy RestrictionsDog Leash Laws
Bethlehem regulates dogs through Article 709 (Dogs) of the General Offenses Code and Section 1159.12 of Article 1159, which require dogs to be under restraint off the owner's property and addresses disturbance-of-the-peace barking. State-level licensing is administered by the county treasurer in each of Lehigh and Northampton Counties under the Pennsylvania Dog Law at 3 P.S. Section 459-101 et seq., which requires every dog three months or older to be licensed annually. Tethering of unattended dogs is governed by the state floor at 18 Pa.C.S. Section 5533 (Libre's Law).
Bethlehem PA Dog Leash and Confinement Rules
Some RestrictionsBreed Restrictions
Bethlehem does not have a breed-specific ordinance and cannot enact one. Pennsylvania's Dog Law at 3 P.S. Section 459-507-A(c) preempts local breed bans: a local ordinance otherwise dealing with dogs may not prohibit or otherwise limit a specific breed of dog. Bethlehem regulates dangerous behavior on an individual-dog basis through Article 709 and Article 1159 (Animals), aligned with the state dangerous-dog statute at 3 P.S. Section 459-502-A enforced through the Courts of Common Pleas of Lehigh and Northampton Counties.
Bethlehem PA Breed-Specific Legislation (Preempted by State Law)
Few RestrictionsBeekeeping
Bethlehem's Codified Ordinances Article 1159 (Animals) does not contain an express urban-beekeeping framework, and bees are not separately listed among the animals counted toward the six-animal permit threshold of Section 1159.04. Hives sit under the general nuisance hook of Section 1159.06 and the coop/distance framework of Sections 1159.09-1159.10. Statewide, the Pennsylvania Bee Law at 3 Pa.C.S. Section 2101 et seq. requires every beekeeper to register all apiaries with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry.
Bethlehem PA Beekeeping Rules
Some RestrictionsExotic Pets
Bethlehem regulates exotic animals through a dedicated chapter — Article 1160 (Wild and Exotic Animals) — which provides the local ban-and-permit framework. Statewide, the Pennsylvania Game and Wildlife Code at 34 Pa.C.S. Section 2961 et seq. and the Pennsylvania Game Commission's permit regulations at 58 Pa. Code Chapter 147 separately require an Exotic Wildlife Possession Permit for big cats, primates, bears, wolves, and venomous reptiles native to non-PA jurisdictions. The dual local/state framework rarely supports residential exotic ownership in the City.
Bethlehem PA Exotic Pets
Heavy RestrictionsWildlife Feeding
Bethlehem's local wildlife-feeding enforcement runs through Article 1159 nuisance provisions (Section 1159.06) of the Codified Ordinances and property-maintenance rules against accumulations attracting vermin. Statewide rules add specific bans: 58 Pa. Code Section 137.33 prohibits feeding bears and elk anywhere in Pennsylvania, and 58 Pa. Code Section 137.34 prohibits feeding wild deer within designated Disease Management Areas. Whether Northampton or Lehigh County sits inside a current CWD DMA should be verified against the live PGC map before placing deer feed.
Bethlehem PA Wildlife Feeding Rules
Some RestrictionsAnimal Hoarding
Bethlehem addresses animal hoarding through two overlapping frameworks: (1) Article 1159 of the Codified Ordinances, which uses the six-animal permit threshold in Section 1159.04 and the nuisance hook in Section 1159.06 to control over-capacity homes; and (2) the Pennsylvania cruelty statutes at 18 Pa.C.S. Sections 5532 (neglect), 5533 (cruelty), and 5534 (aggravated cruelty), as enacted by Libre's Law in 2017. The Lehigh Valley Humane Society humane officers enforce the criminal statutes alongside the City Animal Control Officer.
Bethlehem PA Animal Hoarding
Heavy RestrictionsPet Limits
Bethlehem caps household animals at six without a permit: Section 1159.04 of Article 1159 (Animals) requires application for a permit for any household keeping more than six animals. The state Dog Law continues to require each dog three months or older to be licensed annually through the county treasurer (Lehigh or Northampton), and any person breeding, boarding, or selling dogs commercially must hold a separate state kennel license under 3 P.S. Section 459-206. Conditions sufficient to constitute neglect or hoarding escalate to criminal charges under 18 Pa.C.S. Sections 5532-5534.
Bethlehem PA Pet Limits
Some RestrictionsLooking for Lehigh County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Bethlehem city rules.
Animal Ordinances in Lehigh County →