Unconsolidated Pennsylvania Statutes

AGRICULTURE (Title 3)


THE DOG LAW

ARTICLE I. SHORT TITLE AND DEFINITIONS

§ 459-101. Short title.
§ 459-102. Definitions.

ARTICLE II. LICENSES, TAGS AND KENNELS

§ 459-200. Issuance of dog licenses; compensation; proof required; deposit of funds; records; license sales; rules and regulations; failure to comply; unlawful acts; penalty.
§ 459-201. Applications for dog licenses; fees; penalties.
§ 459-202. License certificates; tag removal, exclusion for some dogs.
§ 459-203. Tags furnished to county treasurers and other agents; lost tags.
§ 459-204. [Deleted.]
§ 459-205. Transfer of dog licenses or tags; other licensing requirements.
§ 459-206. Kennels.
§ 459-207. Requirements for kennels.
§ 459-208. [Deleted.]
§ 459-209. Out-of-state dealer license; application; fee; prohibitions.
§ 459-210. Bills of sale.
§ 459-211. Revocation, suspension or refusal of kennel licenses.
§ 459-212. Dogs temporarily in the commonwealth.
§ 459-213. Transportation of dogs.
§ 459-214. Health certificates for importation.
§ 459-215. [Deleted.]
§ 459-216. [Deleted.]
§ 459-217. Service dogs and dogs used by municipal or State Police departments..
§ 459-218. Inspections of premises and dogs.
§ 459-219. Additional duties of the department.

ARTICLE III. DOGS AT LARGE

§ 459-301. Quarantines.
§ 459-302. Seizure and detention of dogs; costs; destruction of dogs.
§ 459-303. [Deleted.]
§ 459-304. Dogs in heat, confinement thereof.
§ 459-305. Confinement of dogs.

ARTICLE IV. DUTIES OF OFFICERS

§ 459-401. Interference with police officer or state dog warden; duties of state dog warden; failure to produce license certificate.
§ 459-402. Notice requiring examination of dog.

ARTICLE V. OFFENSES OF DOGS

§ 459.501. Killing dogs; dogs as nuisances.
§ 459.502. Dog bites; detention and isolation of dogs.

ARTICLE V-A. DANGEROUS DOGS

§ 459-501-A. [Deleted]
§ 459-502-A. Registration.
§ 459-503-A. Requirements.
§ 459-504-A. Control of dangerous dogs.
§ 459-505-A. Public safety and penalties.
§ 459-506-A. State registry.
§ 459-507-A. Construction of article.

ARTICLE VI. INJURY TO DOGS

§ 459-601. Theft; poison; abandonment of animals by owner.
§ 459-602. Dogs used for law enforcement.
§ 459-603. Selling, bartering or trading dogs.

ARTICLE VII. DOG CAUSED DAMAGES

§ 459-701. Reimbursement for damages; complaints.
§ 459-701.1. Reimbursement for rabies.
§ 459-702. Quarantines due to damages.
§ 459-703. [Deleted.]
§ 459-704. Killing of dogs causing damages.
§ 459-705. Harboring unlicensed dogs; forfeiture of rights of reimbursement.
§ 459-706. Damages caused by coyotes; complaints; liability.

ARTICLE VIII. STATEMENTS AND PROOFS

§ 459-801. False statements.
§ 459-802. Burdens of proof.

ARTICLE IX. ENFORCEMENT AND PENALTIES

§ 459-901. Enforcement of this act by the secretary; provisions for inspections.
§ 459-902. Rules and regulations.
§ 459-903. Violations.
§ 459-904. Permanent identification altered.
§ 459-905. Disposition of fines and penalties.
§ 459-906. Reports to General Assembly.
§ 459-907. State dog wardens; plan for appointment.

ARTICLE IX-A. STERILIZATION OF DOGS AND CATS

§ 459-901-A. Definitions.
§ 459-902-A. Spaying or neutering as condition for release of certain animals.
§ 459-903-A. Refund of deposit upon proof of sterilization.
§ 459-904-A. Rules and sterilization agreement.
§ 459-905-A. Extension of time to sterilize.
§ 459-906-A. Exemption from sterilization; refund of deposited funds.
§ 459-907-A. Death of adopted animal.
§ 459-908-A. Forfeiture of deposited funds and adopted dog or cat.
§ 459-909-A. Disposition of forfeited funds; record of accounts.
§ 459-910-A. Construction of article.
§ 459-911-A. Penalty.

ARTICLE X. DISPOSITION AND APPROPRIATION OF FUNDS

§ 459-1001. Dog Law Restricted Account; disposition and appropriation of funds accruing under the provisions of this act.
§ 459-1002. County dog law programs.

ARTICLE XI. LIABILITY OF THE COMMONWEALTH

§ 459-1101. Liability of the state.

ARTICLE XII. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

§ 459-1201. Applicability to cities of the first class, second class and second class A and third class.
§ 459-1202. [Deleted.]
§ 459-1203. Severability.
§ 459-1204. Acts not affected.
§ 459-1205. Repealer.

§§ 461-500. [Repealed.]
§ 501. Loss of livestock from rabies caused by bite of dog.

§ 531. Dogs worrying or accustomed to worry sheep.
§ 532. How damages recovered.

§ 541. [Repealed.]
§ 542. Rabies; quarantine.
§ 543. Notice of quarantine; approval.
§ 544. Shooting dogs at large in violation of quarantine.
§ 545. Violations of act; penalty.

§ 550. General immunity from noise.
§ 551. Nuisances and injunction.


The complete Pennsylvania Statutes are not yet available on the web. However, selected portions have been made available and can be accessed by CLICKING HERE. These statutes, though available instantaneously over the web, may not be the current law. Court decisions overturning them, later statutes amending them, and a host of other factors come into play when interpreting them. They are provided here as a resource. They should provide some information about the state of the law. However, a competent lawyer, who from other sources will research the law to insure what is current, should always be employed in matters of importance.

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The Dog Law / Judiciary@att.net / last revised December 1999