Localmedium impact · 5/10substantive010257

Council sought to restrict off-premises dog walking with muzzle requirement

Official:Amending Chapter 10-100 of The Philadelphia Code relating to animals by adding a new Section 10-104.2 entitled "Restraining of Dogs."

Sponsor: Councilmember Blackwell

Introduced: April 26, 2001

Voted: December 31, 2003

: Committee on Licenses and Inspections

animal control public safety

No one voted on this bill

This bill was introduced in the 2000–2003 Council term and when that term ran out. The public record shows no committee vote and no floor vote at any stage, so no member of Council ever went on record for or against it.

That is not unusual here. Of the 8,465 bills introduced between 2000 and 2025, 1,624 lapsed without a single recorded vote. Ninety percent of bills that became law carry a roll call. Three percent of lapsed bills do. How this works.

Plain-Language Summary

This bill makes it illegal to walk a dog off its owner's property without a muzzle, and requires owners of 'vicious' dogs to keep them confined on their property with a warning sign. Violators face a $300 fine.

What This Bill Does

AI-written. Every figure is checked against the bill text.

Requires dog owners to muzzle their dogs when they are off the owner's property (Section 10-104.2(1)).
Requires owners of "vicious" dogs to keep them confined on their property with a warning sign (Section 10-104.2(2)).
Requires owners of "vicious" dogs to restrain them with a chain or cage of specific strength and length when off the property (Section 10-104.2(2)).
Imposes a $300 fine on violators of this ordinance (Section 10-104.2(3)).