Animal Ordinances in Scranton, PA (2026)
6 verified animal ordinances for Scranton, Pennsylvania, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Scranton lets residents keep chickens, ducks, geese and other domestic fowl but the Health Director can order them moved if they're penned or nesting within 15 feet of a dwelling. Keeping a cow or bull anywhere in the city requires a written permit from the same office.
Scranton Backyard Fowl & Livestock Permits
Some RestrictionsScranton City Code §§ 169-6, 169-7
§ 169-6. Proximity of fowl to dwellings. The Director of the Office of Public Health is authorized to notify all persons who shall keep or maintain chickens, ducks, geese, guinea fowl, turkeys, pigeons or other domestic fowl within the limits of the City which are confined or nesting in a space within 15 feet from any dwelling to remove the same within 48 hours after receipt of notice. § ... 16...
Dog Leash Laws
Scranton forbids an owner or custodian from letting a dog run at large anywhere in the city, and defines proper restraint as a leash or chain no longer than six feet. Officers must seize any loose dog, and unlicensed strays can be killed during a Health Director quarantine.
Scranton Dog Leash & At-Large Prohibition
Some RestrictionsScranton City Code §§ 169-9, 169-10
§ 169-10. Running at large prohibited. No person being the owner or custodian of a dog shall allow the same to run at large within the limits of the City. ... RESTRAINT: ... Occurs when a dog or other animal is controlled by a leash or chain, not exceeding six feet in length, and where such chain or leash shall prevent such dog or other animal from terrorizing or attacking persons using sidewal...
Breed Restrictions
Scranton has no breed ban; instead it targets any dog by behavior. Section 169-11 holds an owner liable for all damages from a dog that bites or attempts to bite a person, and after a police investigation the dog may be killed on sight anywhere outside a dwelling.
Scranton Vicious Dog Liability & Destruction Rule
Heavy RestrictionsScranton City Code § 169-11
Any person keeping, harboring or maintaining a vicious dog which shall have bitten or attempted to bite any human being shall be held liable and responsible for all damages therefrom. Upon complaint being made, after investigation by the Superintendent of Police, such dog may be killed upon sight wherever it may be found, dwelling houses excepted.
Pet Limits
Scranton's zoning code limits any residential lot under one acre to a combined six dogs and cats over three months old; larger lots can keep up to twelve. Keeping other animals, like chickens or bees, requires a separate Zoning Officer permit.
Scranton Caps Dogs And Cats Per Household
Some RestrictionsScranton City Code § 445-29.A(1)
Cats and dogs. On a residential lot of less than one acre, the total number of dogs and cats over three months in age shall be a combined maximum of six. On any other lot, the total number of dogs and cats over three months of age shall be a combined maximum of 12.
Cat Rules
Scranton makes it unlawful for a cat's owner or harborer to let it run at large in the city, alongside livestock like horses, cows and goats. A loose cat is declared a public nuisance and any police officer may seize it and take it to the City pound.
Scranton Cats At-Large & Impoundment Rule
Some RestrictionsScranton City Code § 169-3
No person, whether as owner or harborer, shall cause or permit any horse, mare, gelding, mule, ox, cow, bull, goat, sheep, hog or cat to run at large upon the streets, avenues, courts, public grounds or unenclosed land within the City. ... Any such animal running at large shall be considered a public and common nuisance, and it shall be the duty of any police officer to seize and take to the Ci...
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Scranton's Zoning Ordinance defines an "animal hospital or veterinary clinic" at § 445-8 as a building for treating, housing, or boarding small domestic animals by a veterinarian, and the City's district use tables list the use as "P," Permitted Use by Right, in the City Neighborhood Mixed Use District and other commercial and mixed-use districts.
Scranton Veterinary Clinic Zoning Rules
Few RestrictionsScranton City Code §§ 445-8, 445-12J
ANIMAL HOSPITAL OR VETERINARY CLINIC A building used for the treatment, housing, or boarding of small domestic animals such as dogs, cats, rabbits, and birds or fowl by a veterinarian. ... J. 14 City Neighborhood Mixed Use. ... (1) Permitted uses. Key: P = Permitted Use by Right C = Conditional Use SE = Use by Special Exception ... Animal hospital or veterinary clinic P