Breed safety laws ::

Over 900 U.S. cities have enacted breed-specific legislation and wolf-dog hybrid laws. View model and noted breed-specific ordinances and mandatory pit bull spaying and neutering ordinances.

Types of ordinances

Model & Noted Ordinances

A list of model breed-specific ordinances, which have withstood legal challenges, and noted ordinances, which often contain a blend of pit bull sterilization and anti-tethering requirements.

Sterilization Ordinances

A list of breed-specific mandatory sterilization ordinances, primarily aimed at pit bulls and other fighting breeds, from nine states. Some also require mandatory microchipping or insurance.

State-by-State Ordinances

Our vast collection of over 900 breed-specific ordinances by state now requires a login. This website area is reserved for city officials and legal researchers. Please contact us for access.

Military Breed-Specific Policies

Between 2009 and 2012, all three major U.S. military divisions banned a small group of dangerous dog breeds from domestic privatized housing, primarily: pit bulls, rottweilers and wolf-dog hybrids.

Indian Reservation Laws

A list of Indian reservations with breed-specific ordinances from Washington to Wisconsin, along with Tribal lands located in the Northwest, Great Plains, Southwest, South and Southeast regions.

Housing Authority Policies

A sampling of public housing authorities with breed-specific policies across the country, the largest being the New York City Housing Authority. These policies primarily target pit bulls and rottweilers.

Also see:  State Preemption Map  |  Fighting Preemption  |  Deaths After Preemption

Constitutional breed safety laws

Appellate courts in fifteen states and the District of Columbia have upheld the constitutionality of breed-specific legislation. Learn more in the section: Constitutionality of Breed-Specific Laws.

  • Arkansas
  • California
  • Colorado
  • District of Columbia
  • Florida
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Maryland
  • Missouri
  • New Mexico
  • Ohio
  • Utah
  • Washington
  • West Virginia
  • Wisconsin

International breed safety laws

Many foreign countries have enacted breed-specific legislation as well, including: Canada, Great Britain, Germany, France, Ireland, Australia, and more. Please see a full list of these countries.