on September 10, 2026

Pennsylvania Dog Poop Laws

Quick answer: Pennsylvania has no statewide pooper scooper law. Picking up after your dog is regulated city by city, and all three of the largest cities we checked have an ordinance requiring it. None of them uses a set ticket amount. Fines are set by a judge within a range the code allows.

Why Pennsylvania leaves it to cities

Pennsylvania has no statewide dog-waste pick-up law. The Dog Law (Act 225 of 1982, 3 P.S. § 459-101 et seq.), read in full on the General Assembly site, mentions feces only in kennel sanitation standards, so public clean-up rules are left to municipalities. The Dog Law does set a statewide confinement rule: § 305(a) makes it unlawful to fail to keep a dog at all times confined on the owner's premises, firmly secured by a collar and chain or other device, or under the reasonable control of some person (or engaged in lawful hunting, exhibition, performance events or field training). That is a control standard, not a leash mandate. Unless the act provides otherwise, a first violation of Articles II through VII is a summary offense with a fine of $500 to $1,000 or up to 90 days in jail (§ 903(b)(1), as amended in 2023); a subsequent offense within one year of sentencing is a third-degree misdemeanor with a $1,000 to $5,000 fine. § 507-A(c) abrogates local dangerous-dog ordinances and bars breed-specific local rules but says nothing about waste.

  • Confinement and control of dogs: 3 P.S. § 459-305 (Dog Law § 305) (read it)
  • Enforcement and penalties: 3 P.S. § 459-903 (Dog Law § 903) (read it)
  • Local ordinances (dangerous dogs abrogated; no breed-specific rules): 3 P.S. § 459-507-A (Dog Law § 507-A) (read it)

Pooper scooper laws in Pennsylvania's largest cities

Each row comes from the city's own municipal code. "Up to" is the most a court can impose, not a standard ticket. Where a city publishes no amount, we say so rather than estimate one.

City Ordinance Fine Must carry a bag
Philadelphia Philadelphia Code §§ 10-104 and 10-105 (cited by Philadelphia Parks & Recreation; code text not read) Could not verify Not stated
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Code § 633.22(D)(5) (Off-Leash Exercise Areas only, as amended by Ord. 14 of 2018); the citywide dog-waste section was not verified Could not verify Not stated
Allentown Allentown City Code § 163-4(D) (Chapter 163, Animals, Article I; amended by Ord. No. 15882 of 2023) $50 to $1,000 No

The rule people miss: carrying the bag

None of the cities we checked in Pennsylvania spell out a separate duty to carry a bag, but the pickup duty applies the moment your dog goes, and "I did not have a bag" is not a defense in any of them.

A bag holder on the leash solves that for good. Ours is the Walk Dispenser, which clips on and holds a full roll.

Worth knowing about Pennsylvania

  • Pennsylvania's Dog Law carries unusually steep state penalties for a loose dog: since a 2023 amendment, a first violation of the confinement rule (unless otherwise provided) is a summary offense with a $500 minimum fine, and a repeat within a year is a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $5,000. The law has no dog-waste provision for public places.
  • The Dog Law preempts local dangerous-dog ordinances and bans breed-specific local rules (§ 507-A(c)), but leaves pooper-scooper rules to cities.
  • Allentown's 2023 Ordinance 15882 broadened its clean-up rule so that 'property of another' covers any other public or private property, and § 163-4(D)(2) also requires property owners to remove animal waste from their own property at least every 24 hours.
  • Pittsburgh requires dog owners in Off-Leash Exercise Areas to carry waste-removal equipment (§ 633.22), one of the few carry-a-bag rules found in these cities, though it applies only inside OLEAs.

Common questions

Is it illegal to not pick up dog poop in Pennsylvania?

There is no statewide law, but every one of the largest cities we checked has a pickup rule, and most smaller towns have similar ordinances. Check your own city or county code.

How much is the fine for not picking up dog poop in Pennsylvania?

It depends on the city. Allentown: $50 to $1,000. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh do not publish an amount.

Do I have to carry a poop bag in Pennsylvania?

Not as a separate rule in the cities we checked. You still have to pick up, so in practice you need one.

Other states in the Northeast

New York · New Jersey · Massachusetts · Connecticut · New Hampshire · Maine · Rhode Island · Vermont

See all 50 states · How scoop laws work in general

Sources

Checked 2026-09-10. Ordinances change, so if you are dealing with an actual citation, read the current code at the link rather than relying on this page.

This page is general information, not legal advice.