We love our dogs, and we know you love your dogs. However, dog lovers need to learn, understand, and follow through with all Commonwealth and local ordinances related to their pets. This includes following any leash laws in place. Here, we want to discuss leash laws in place at the state level as well as what you need to know about local ordinances.
Pennsylvania Doesn’t Have Explicit Leash Laws
If we examine information directly available from Pennsylvania government resources, we can see that there is no specific mention of any type of leash law at the Commonwealth level. Even though there are certainly state laws related to dog safety, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania leaves leash laws to the purview of municipal governments.
What Pennsylvania law does say is that every dog must be under control and not allowed to run at large. The law makes it clear that dogs are considered personal property and the responsibility of their owners. You could interpret this to mean that a dog should be leased, but the law does not say that explicitly.
Local Municipalities Have Made Leash Laws
Each local municipality throughout Pennsylvania is allowed to set its own leash law that residents must abide by. For example, the city of Philadelphia requires that dogs remain on a leash that is 6 feet or shorter and that owners clean up after their pets. The city of Pittsburgh states that dogs are not permitted to roam unleashed on public streets, sidewalks, other public places, or on other people’s property. They also say that dogs must be on a leash that is no more than six feet in length.
We encourage you to perform a quick internet search to determine the leash laws for your specific area of Pennsylvania. Please understand that you are responsible for abiding by all laws related to dogs and other pets put in place by local municipalities.
If you have any questions or concerns about a dog in your particular area of Pennsylvania, we encourage you to report your concerns to local police or local animal control officials if your municipality has animal control. A quick online search of your municipality and the words animal control should give you the correct agency to call for your concern.
Beware of Injuries
Pennsylvania follows a strict liability rule when it comes to dog bites. Under this type of rule, a dog owner is responsible for any aggressive actions their dog takes towards another individual or another animal. The law holds the owner responsible for all medical bills associated with any injuries caused by their dog biting someone else. Individuals harmed by a dog bite do not have to prove that the dog owner was negligent in any way. The responsibility of the dog owner becomes automatic when the bite occurs, so long as the victim was on public property or lawfully on private property.
Individuals who sustain injuries caused by dogs often incur significant medical bills. This includes hospital emergency expenses, follow-up doctor office visits, surgical expenses, lost wages, as well as physical and emotional pain and suffering damages. Any person harmed by a dog bite should reach out to a skilled Philadelphia dog bite injury lawyer who can help walk them through the process and recover compensation through an insurance settlement or as a result of a personal injury jury verdict.