Abington, PA Noise Ordinances: Barking Dogs (2026)

Article III of Chapter 58, 'Animals as Nuisances,' opens with § 58-17's general rule that no one may keep or harbor an animal so as to create offensive odors, excessive noise or unsanitary conditions that menace public health or safety. Section 58-18 narrows in on noise and aggression specifically: an animal that endangers health or safety by biting, or that disturbs the peace through habitual barking, howling or yelping, is declared a nuisance outright, and it is unlawful for the owner or anyone with custody of the animal to let that nuisance continue.

The section was amended twice, in 1989 and again in 2014, without changing that core declaration. Related nuisance rules fill out the article: § 58-19 declares an animal a nuisance if it scratches, digs or defecates on someone else's lawn, tree, shrub, plant or building, with an exception for horses and ponies used for transportation while in a street right-of-way (but not a sidewalk); § 58-20 extends that rule to school grounds and Township parks, treating the nuisance as abated if the owner immediately removes and sanitarily disposes of the animal's waste; and § 58-21 bars keeping an animal in an outdoor run that drains onto a neighboring property.

Enforcement across the whole article runs through § 58-22, which sets the penalty for any Article III violation, including the barking and biting nuisance declared in § 58-18.