10 rules for unincorporated Chester County, Pennsylvania.
Verified from official government sources
Chester County does not regulate backyard chickens or livestock. Whether you may keep hens, roosters, or farm animals is decided by your borough or township zoning under the PA Municipalities Planning Code. Rural agricultural townships allow it; denser boroughs often restrict or ban it.
Pennsylvania's Dog Law (3 P.S. 459-305) requires every dog to be confined, secured, or under reasonable control statewide. In Chester County parks, dogs must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet. Day-to-day leash rules are set by your borough or township.
Chester County has no breed-specific ban, and Pennsylvania law prohibits municipalities from banning dogs by breed. Regulation is by behavior: the state Dangerous Dog law (3 P.S. 459-502-A) governs individual dogs that attack, regardless of breed.
Chester County sets no beekeeping ordinance. Hive placement, setbacks, and hive counts are governed by your borough or township zoning. Statewide, beekeepers must register their colonies with the PA Department of Agriculture under the Bee Law (3 Pa.C.S. Ch. 21).
Chester County restricts high-risk exotic animals. Under Health Department §202, wolves, bats, skunks, foxes, raccoons, and bobcats may not be sold, imported, or housed in the county, and no high-risk wild animal may be kept without PA Game Commission permission.
Chester County Health Dept Rules & Regs §202.7.1
Animals which are recognized as high risk with regard to the transmission of rabies, including but not limited to raccoons, foxes, bats, and skunks, shall not be sold, or in any way distributed or offered for sale or distribution within Chester County.
Chester County has no general wildlife-feeding ban, but feeding is discouraged and restricted in county parks. Statewide, the PA Game Commission prohibits feeding deer, elk, and bears, and can order feeding stopped when it spreads disease or draws bears.
Chester County does not zone for livestock. Cattle, horses, goats, sheep, and pigs are permitted or restricted by your borough or township under PA zoning. Rural agricultural districts allow farm animals; suburban and borough lots typically do not.
Pennsylvania made animal hoarding a specific crime in 2023. A person who houses more animals than they can properly care for, causing bodily injury or death, commits an offense under Title 18. Chester County SPCA and Health Department enforce animal-welfare and rabies rules.
Chester County sets no limit on how many pets you may own. Numeric limits on dogs and cats are set by your borough or township. Owning a kennel of many dogs triggers a state kennel license from the PA Department of Agriculture.
Chester County requires all cats three months or older to be vaccinated against rabies. Under Health Department §202.8, a cat residing in the county for ten days or more must be immunized by a licensed veterinarian. There is no county cat-leash or licensing rule.
Chester County Health Dept Rules & Regs §202.8.2
All cats three months of age or older residing in Chester County for a period of ten (10) days or more shall be vaccinated against rabies by a licensed Veterinarian and as prescribed by State Law.
See every category we cover for Chester County — parking, noise, fences, fires, animals, pools, and more.
Chester County Ordinance Hub →