[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Supervisors of the Township of Spring as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 2-24-1975 by Ord. No. 109 (Ch. III of the 2013 Code of Ordinances)]
No person owning, harboring, keeping or in charge of any dog, shall cause, suffer or allow such dog to soil, defile, defecate on or commit any nuisance on any common thoroughfare, sidewalk, passageway, bypath, play area, park or any place where people congregate or walk, or upon any public property whatsoever, or upon any private property without the permission of the owner of said private property. The restriction of this section shall not apply to that property lying between the curb and the improved sidewalk area, which area shall be used to curb such dog under the following conditions:
A. 
The person who so curbs such dog shall immediately remove all feces deposited by such dog in a sanitary method from the designated areas as heretofore defined.
B. 
The feces removed from the said designated area shall be deposited by the person owning, harboring, keeping or in charge of any dog curbed in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, in a sanitary method.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
Any person failing to comply with any of the provisions of this article shall, upon conviction in a summary proceeding brought before a Magisterial District Judge under the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure, be subject to the penalty provisions of § 1-12, Summary offenses, of the Code of the Township of Spring.
In the event any provision, section, sentence, clause or part of this chapter shall be held to be invalid, such invalidity shall not affect or impair any remaining provision, section, sentence, clause or part of this chapter, it being the intent of the Township of Spring, Berks County, Pennsylvania, that such remainder shall be and shall remain in force and effect.
It is hereby declared that the enactment of this chapter is necessary for the protection, benefit and preservation of the health, safety and welfare of the inhabitants of the Township of Spring, Berks County, Pennsylvania.
[Adopted 4-14-2025 by Ord. No. 467]
The purpose of this article is to establish guidelines for the presence of animals within the buildings and offices of Spring Township in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This article aims to ensure a safe, accessible, and accommodating environment for all individuals while complying with applicable state and federal regulations.
This article applies to all elected and appointed officials, employees, visitors, contractors, and other individuals who access the buildings and offices of the Township of Spring.
When used in this article, the following words, terms and phrases shall have the following meanings, unless expressly stated otherwise or unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Any word or term not defined in this article shall be used with a meaning of standard usage.
SERVICE ANIMAL
As defined by the ADA, a service animal is any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual or mental disability. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the individual's disability. Tasks may include guiding individuals with visual impairments, alerting individuals with hearing impairments, or performing other specific functions related to the individual's disability. The provision of emotional support, well-being, comfort or companionship do not constitute work or tasks for the purposes of the ADA or of this definition.
A. 
Permitted animals. Only Service Animals, as defined by the ADA, are permitted to enter the buildings and offices of the Township of Spring. All service animals must, at all times, be under the control of its handler or, where applicable, a third-party in the company of the disabled individual if the individual's disability prevents them from exerting control over the service animal.
B. 
Prohibited animals. Animals that do not meet the ADA definition of "service animal," including but not limited to emotional support animals, therapy animals, companion animals, and pets, are not permitted to enter the buildings and offices of the Township of Spring.
A. 
Notification. Individuals requiring a service animal are not required to provide documentation of their disability or the animal's training. However, Township of Spring staff may ask:
(1) 
If the animal is a service animal required due to a disability; and
(2) 
What tasks the service animal has been trained to perform.
B. 
Behavior. Service animals must be housebroken, well-behaved and not disruptive. If a service animal's behavior poses a direct threat to the health or safety of others, or if it is not under the control of the disabled individual or third-party handler and the handler does not take effective action to control the service animal, Township of Spring employees may require the animal to be removed from the premises.
C. 
Access to areas. Service animals must have access to all areas where their handler is permitted to access. Service animals must, at all times, remain on the floor, or the handler (or a third-party where applicable) must carry the service animal. Service animals may not be placed on elevated surfaces, including but not limited to chairs, benches, desks, countertops, or similar surfaces/locations.
A. 
Individuals with disabilities. Individuals with disabilities are responsible for ensuring their service animals are properly trained and under control while on the premises. Owner must clean up any excrement produced by the service animal. Service animals must, at all times, be harnessed, leashed, or tethered, unless the individual's disability prevents using these devices or these devices interfere with the service animal's safe, effective performance of tasks. In that case, the individual must maintain control of the animal through voice, signal, or other effective controls.
B. 
Township staff. Members of the Township staff are responsible for ensuring compliance with this article and for addressing any issues or concerns related to service animals. Township staff are not required to provide care for or supervision of a service animal. When there is a legitimate reason to ask that a service animal be removed, Township staff must offer the person with the disability the opportunity to obtain services without the animal's presence.
Any exceptions to this article must be reviewed and approved by the Township of Spring Board of Supervisors or its designee and must comply with applicable laws and regulations.
For questions or concerns regarding this article, please contact the Township of Spring at (610) 678-5393, 2850 Windmill Road, Sinking Spring, PA 19608.
The provisions of this article are severable. If any of its provisions, terms or clauses are for any reason declared invalid, illegal or unconstitutional, such invalidity, illegality or unconstitutionality shall not affect or impair any of the remaining provisions of this article. It is hereby declared to be the intent of the Board of Supervisors of the Township of Spring that this article would not have been adopted had each invalid, illegal or unconstitutional provision not been included herein.
All ordinances or parts of ordinances conflicting with the provisions of this article are hereby repealed insofar as they are inconsistent with this article.