Animal Ordinances in Upper Darby, PA (2026)
7 verified animal ordinances for Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Upper Darby Code § 222-30 bars keeping fowl, poultry, sheep, goats, pigs, or other domestic or wild/semi-wild animals on any lot smaller than one acre, effectively ruling out backyard chickens or livestock on ordinary residential lots.
Upper Darby One-Acre Minimum for Farm Animals
Significant RestrictionsUpper Darby Code § 222-30
§ 222-30. Area limitations. From and after the effective date of this article, no person shall maintain, keep, raise or house within the limits of Upper Darby Township any domestic animals or wild or semi-wild animals on any lot of less than one acre in area. This section shall not apply to lots wherein small animals as hereinabove defined are kept or where birds are kept in an aviary. [DOMESTI...
Dog Leash Laws
Upper Darby Code § 222-6 requires every dog owner to keep the dog under restraint at all times and bars dogs from being off the owner's property unless leashed and controlled by a competent person. Loose dogs are impounded, with a $7.50-per-night fee to reclaim.
Upper Darby Dog Restraint and Leash Law
Some RestrictionsUpper Darby Code § 222-6
§ 222-6. Restraint. The owner shall keep his dog under restraint at all times and shall not permit such dog to be at large, off the premises or property of the owner, unless on a leash and under the control of a competent person.
Breed Restrictions
Upper Darby Code does not list restricted breeds. Instead §§ 222-20 and 222-21 regulate dogs by behavior: a dog that bites a person without good cause is declared vicious and its ownership is outright banned, and attack-trained dogs may never run loose in the Township.
Upper Darby Vicious and Attack-Trained Dog Rules
Significant RestrictionsUpper Darby Code §§ 222-20, 222-21
§ 222-20. Attack-trained dogs. A. Attack-trained dogs are a potential hazard to the community. These dogs are not pets and under no circumstances will be permitted loose upon the Township. It will be the duty of a police officer to destroy any loose dog he has reason to believe is a loose attack-trained dog. B. Attack-trained dogs must be confined in a secured building. Where the dog is to be u...
Beekeeping
Upper Darby Code § 222-27.2 caps how many bee colonies a lot may hold, scaled to lot size from two colonies on a half-acre lot up to no limit above five acres, and requires a six-foot flyway barrier when hives sit within 25 feet of a property line.
Upper Darby Backyard Beekeeping Colony Limits
Some RestrictionsUpper Darby Code § 222-27.2
§ 222-27.2. Colony density. A. ...in each instance where a colony is kept less than 25 feet from a property line of the lot upon which the apiary is located, as measured from the nearest point on the hive to the property line, the beekeeper shall establish and maintain a flyway barrier at least six feet in height. B. No person is permitted to keep more than the following numbers of colonies on ...
Exotic Pets
Upper Darby Code § 222-41 flatly prohibits keeping any wild animal as a pet and bars owning or displaying a wild or vicious animal for training or exhibition, with a narrow exception only for AAZPA-accredited zoos.
Upper Darby Bans Wild Animals Kept as Pets
Heavy RestrictionsUpper Darby Code § 222-41
§ 222-41. Prohibition against wild animals kept as pets. A. No person shall keep or permit to be kept any wild animal as a pet. B. No person shall own, possess, or have custody of on his or her premises any wild or vicious animal for display, training, or exhibition purposes, whether gratuitously or for a fee. This section shall not be construed to apply to American Association of Zoological Pa...
Cat Rules
Upper Darby Code § 222-43 bans letting a cat run at large, and § 222-42 requires every cat off its owner's premises to wear an ID tag or collar with the owner's name, address, and phone number. Loose cats are impounded with an eight-day redemption window for tagged cats.
Upper Darby Cat At-Large and ID Tag Rules
Some RestrictionsUpper Darby Code §§ 222-42, 222-43
§ 222-42. Identification tag and collar. Cats must wear identification tags or collars containing name, address and telephone number of owner at all times when off the premises of the owner. § 222-43. Prohibition against cats running at large. A. It shall be unlawful for the owner of any cat to permit it to run at large, to cause annoyance to persons or damage to persons or property, to trespas...
Bird Protection
Upper Darby Township Code bars anyone from injuring, annoying or killing birds in a Township park, disturbing waterfowl in park streams, pools or ponds, or removing birds' nests or eggs. The Police Department enforces the rule under Chapter 396.
Upper Darby Bans Killing Park Birds
Some RestrictionsUpper Darby Code § 396-3(L)
No person shall annoy, injure or kill any animals or birds in a park; nor disturb water fowl in the streams, pools or ponds; nor remove or carry away any birds' nests or eggs.
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