Animal Ordinances in Erie, PA (2026)
8 verified animal ordinances for Erie, Pennsylvania, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
The City of Erie prohibits keeping any animal usually kept as a farm animal or livestock; owners receive a seven-day warning to remove the animals or face a citation.
Farm Animals and Livestock Prohibited in City
Heavy RestrictionsCity of Erie Codified Ordinances, Article 729 (Animals)
No person shall board, breed, house, keep or maintain any animal which is wild, dangerous, noxious or naturally inclined to do harm in any place, nor any animal usually kept as a farm animal or livestock in the City of Erie.
Dog Leash Laws
Erie's Codified Ordinances Article 505 (Animals and Fowl) prohibits dogs from running at large within the City of Erie — dogs off the owner's property must be on a leash and under control. State-level licensing is administered by the Erie County Treasurer 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. Erie's contracted animal-control authority responds to off-leash and at-large complaints.
Erie PA Dog Leash and Confinement Rules
Some RestrictionsBreed Restrictions
Erie has no breed-specific ban; Pennsylvania state law expressly prohibits any local ordinance from prohibiting or limiting a specific breed of dog, so the City regulates dangerous dogs by behavior, not breed.
Breed-Specific Bans Barred by PA State Law
Few RestrictionsPennsylvania Dangerous Dog Law, 3 P.S. Sec. 459-507-A(c) (Construction of article)
Those provisions of any ordinances of any political subdivision which deal with the registration, control and licensing of dogs as set forth in this act are hereby abrogated. A local ordinance otherwise dealing with dogs may not prohibit or otherwise limit a specific breed of dog. No liability policy or surety bond issued pursuant to this act or any other act may prohibit coverage from any spec...
Beekeeping
Erie's Codified Ordinances do not contain an express urban-beekeeping framework, and bees are not listed as a permitted accessory use in residential zones under the Erie Zoning Ordinance. The practical effect is that any hive proposed within City limits sits in regulatory gray space and would draw nuisance review under Article 505 if it triggered complaints. 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.
Erie PA Beekeeping Rules
Heavy RestrictionsExotic Pets
Erie's Codified Ordinances Article 505 addresses dangerous and wild animals through general nuisance and restraint provisions, and the Zoning Ordinance does not list exotic species as a customary residential accessory use. 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.
Erie PA Exotic Pets
Heavy RestrictionsWildlife Feeding
Erie's local wildlife-feeding enforcement runs through Article 505 nuisance provisions 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. As of 2025 Erie County is not within a DMA, so general deer feeding in Erie is not prohibited solely by 137.34 — bird-feeder rules still apply, and a DMA designation could change this.
Erie PA Wildlife Feeding Rules
Some RestrictionsAnimal Hoarding
Erie addresses animal hoarding through two overlapping frameworks: (1) Article 505 of the Codified Ordinances, which prohibits keeping animals that constitute a public nuisance or menace to public health or safety; 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 Pennsylvania SPCA and humane society officers, working with the Erie Humane Society, enforce the criminal statutes alongside Erie Bureau of Animal Enforcement.
Erie PA Animal Hoarding
Heavy RestrictionsPet Limits
Erie does not set a fixed numeric limit on the number of dogs or cats a household may keep, relying instead on nuisance and restraint provisions; Pennsylvania's Dog Law requires a kennel license at 26 or more dogs in a calendar year.
No Fixed Pet Cap; Kennel License at 26 Dogs
Few RestrictionsPennsylvania Dog Law, 3 P.S. Sec. 459-201 (Applications for licenses)
On or before January 1 of each year, the owner of any dog, three months of age or older, or upon transfer to a new owner, whichever comes first, shall apply to the county treasurer of their respective county or an agent, on a form prescribed by the department, for a license for each dog owned or kept by them.