Animal Ordinances in Scranton, PA (2026)
8 verified animal ordinances for Scranton, Pennsylvania, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Scranton's Code of Ordinances Chapter 169 (Animals) prohibits horses, cows, bulls, goats, sheep, hogs, mules, oxen and similar livestock from running at large in the City, and authorizes the Director of the Office of Public Health to order removal of chickens, ducks, geese, guinea fowl, turkeys, pigeons or other domestic fowl confined within 15 feet of any dwelling within 48 hours of notice. No person may keep a cow or bull without a written permit from the Director of the Office of Public Health. The combined effect is that backyard agricultural birds and large livestock are not by-right uses inside Scranton city limits.
Scranton PA Chickens, Fowl and Livestock Rules
Heavy RestrictionsDog Leash Laws
Scranton's Code of Ordinances Chapter 169 (Animals) prohibits dogs from running at large in the City, requires that any leash or chain not exceed six feet in length, and authorizes Scranton Police and contracted animal-control authorities to seize dogs running at large. As of January 1, 2023 the City of Scranton no longer issues a separate City dog license — owners license through the Lackawanna County Treasurer under the Pennsylvania Dog Law at 3 P.S. Section 459-201, which requires every dog three months or older to be licensed annually.
Scranton PA Dog Leash and Confinement Rules
Some RestrictionsBreed Restrictions
Scranton 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. Scranton regulates dangerous behavior on an individual-dog basis through Chapter 169 vicious-dog provisions, aligned with the state dangerous-dog statute at 3 P.S. Section 459-502-A enforced through the Court of Common Pleas of Lackawanna County.
Scranton PA Breed-Specific Legislation (Preempted by State Law)
Few RestrictionsBeekeeping
Scranton's Code of Ordinances Chapter 169 (Animals) does not contain an express urban-beekeeping framework, and bees are not listed as a permitted accessory use in residential zones under the Scranton Zoning Ordinance. The practical effect is that any hive proposed within City limits sits in regulatory gray space and would draw nuisance review under Chapter 169 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.
Scranton PA Beekeeping Rules
Heavy RestrictionsExotic Pets
Scranton's Code of Ordinances Chapter 169 addresses dangerous and at-large animals through nuisance and restraint provisions, and the Scranton 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.
Scranton PA Exotic Pets
Heavy RestrictionsWildlife Feeding
Scranton's local wildlife-feeding enforcement runs through Chapter 169 nuisance provisions of the Code of 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 (DMAs). Lackawanna County's DMA status changes after new CWD detections — verify the current Pennsylvania Game Commission CWD map before placing deer feed.
Scranton PA Wildlife Feeding Rules
Some RestrictionsAnimal Hoarding
Scranton addresses animal hoarding through two overlapping frameworks: (1) Chapter 169 of the Code of Ordinances, which prohibits keeping animals in a manner that disturbs the peace or constitutes a health hazard to the citizens of the City of Scranton; 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. Pennsylvania SPCA-trained humane officers, working with Griffin Pond Animal Shelter (Humane Society of Lackawanna County), enforce the criminal statutes alongside Scranton Police.
Scranton PA Animal Hoarding
Heavy RestrictionsPet Limits
Scranton's Code of Ordinances Chapter 169 (Animals) caps the total combined number of dogs and cats over three months of age at six (6) per residential lot of less than one acre. Each dog three months or older must be licensed annually under the Pennsylvania Dog Law through the Lackawanna County Treasurer, and any person breeding, boarding, or selling 26 or more dogs in a calendar year 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.