Dog Breed Restrictions by State
Choose a state to read its verified law excerpt on local breed-specific rules.
Choose a state to view its result and official source.
Read each quotation before treating the label as a statewide answer. The label describes the scope of the quoted provision. A dangerous-dog rule, a breed ownership ban, and a rule about every dog are different questions.
Not verified means this lookup cannot establish the answer from readable official text. It does not mean breed-specific rules are allowed. No statewide statute located is a documented search result. Local ordinances may still apply.
State law on breed-specific rules
The wording below is quoted from official codes. Search results and unresolved entries are labeled separately.
| State | State law on breed-specific rules as worded | Citation | Official link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| Alaska | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| Arizona | A city or town may regulate the control of dogs if the regulation is not specific to any breed. | A.R.S. 9-499.04(C) | Official code |
| Arkansas | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| California | Except as provided in Section 122331 of the Health and Safety Code, no program regulating any dog shall be specific as to breed. | Food and Agricultural Code 31683 | Official code |
| Colorado | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| Connecticut | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| Delaware | The municipal governments shall enact no law, ordinance, or regulation relating to dogs, or restrictions on dogs, based on a dog's breed or perceived breed. | 22 Del. C. 116 | Official code |
| District of Columbia | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| Florida | This act does not limit any local government or public housing authority from adopting an ordinance or a policy, respectively, to address the safety and welfare concerns caused by attacks on persons or domestic animals; placing further restrictions or additional requirements on owners of dogs that have bitten or attacked persons or domestic animals; or developing procedures and criteria for the implementation of this act, provided that no such regulation is specific to breed, weight, or size and that the provisions of this act are not lessened by such additional regulations or requirements. | F.S. 767.14 | Official code |
| Georgia | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| Hawaii | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| Idaho | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| Illinois | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| Indiana | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| Iowa | No statewide statute located Related code context: A city may exercise its general powers subject only to limitations expressly imposed by a state or city law. | Iowa Code Chs. 351, 331, 364 | Official code |
| Kansas | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| Kentucky | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| Louisiana | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| Maine | Each municipality is empowered to adopt or retain more stringent ordinances, laws or regulations dealing with the subject matter of this chapter, including the establishment of fees necessary and appropriate to finance the cost of animal control services, except that municipalities may not adopt breed-specific ordinances, laws or regulations. | 7 M.R.S. 3950 | Official code |
| Maryland | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| Massachusetts | No city or town shall regulate dogs in a manner that is specific to breed. | Mass. Gen. Laws Ch. 140, 157(c) | Official code |
| Michigan | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| Minnesota | A statutory or home rule charter city, or a county, may not adopt an ordinance regulating dangerous or potentially dangerous dogs based solely on the specific breed of the dog. Ordinances inconsistent with this subdivision are void. | Minn. Stat. 347.51, subd. 8 | Official code |
| Mississippi | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| Missouri | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| Montana | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| Nebraska | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| Nevada | A local authority shall not adopt or enforce an ordinance or regulation that deems a dog dangerous or vicious based solely on the breed of the dog. | NRS 202.500(6) | Official code |
| New Hampshire | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| New Jersey | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| New Mexico | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| New York | Nothing contained in this article shall prevent a municipality from adopting its own program for the control of dangerous dogs; provided, however, that no such program shall be less stringent than this article, and no such program shall regulate such dogs in a manner that is specific as to breed. Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision one of this section, this subdivision and sections one hundred twenty-three, one hundred twenty-three-a and one hundred twenty-three-b of this article shall apply to all municipalities including cities of two million or more. | Agriculture and Markets Law 107(5) | Official code |
| North Carolina | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| North Dakota | No statewide statute located Related code context: To license dogs, and to regulate the keeping of dogs, including authorization for their disposition or destruction in order to protect the health, safety, and general welfare of the public provided, however, that license fees are waived in the case of an assistance dog. | N.D.C.C. Chs. 23-36, 40-05, 36-21 | Official code |
| Ohio | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| Oklahoma | Potentially dangerous or dangerous dogs may be regulated through local, municipal and county authorities, provided the regulations are not breed specific. | 4 O.S. 46(B) | Official code |
| Oregon | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| Pennsylvania | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| Rhode Island | No city or town may enact any rule, regulation or ordinance specific to any breed of dog or cat in the exercise of its power to further control and regulate dogs, cats or other animals as authorized by this chapter. | R.I. Gen. Laws 4-13-43 | Official code |
| South Carolina | An animal is not a "dangerous animal" solely by virtue of its breed or species. | S.C. Code 47-3-710(C) | Official code |
| South Dakota | No local government, as defined in § 6-1-12 , may enact, maintain, or enforce any ordinance, policy, resolution, or other enactment that is specific as to the breed or perceived breed of a dog. This section does not impair the right of any local government unit to enact, maintain, or enforce any form of regulation that applies to all dogs. | S.D. Codified Laws 40-34-16 | Official code |
| Tennessee | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| Texas | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| Utah | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| Vermont | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| Virginia | No locality shall prohibit the ownership of a particular breed of dog. | Va. Code 3.2-6541.1 | Official code |
| Washington | (1) A city or county may not prohibit the possession of a dog based upon its breed, impose requirements specific to possession of a dog based upon its breed, or declare a dog dangerous or potentially dangerous based on its breed unless all of the following conditions are met: (a) The city or county has established and maintains a reasonable process for exempting any dog from breed-based regulations or a breed ban if the dog passes the American kennel club canine good citizen test or a reasonably equivalent canine behavioral test as determined by the city or county; (b) Dogs that pass the American kennel club canine good citizen test or a reasonably equivalent canine behavioral test are exempt from breed-based regulations for a period of at least two years; (c) Dogs that pass the American kennel club canine good citizen test or a reasonably equivalent canine behavioral test are given the opportunity to retest to maintain their exemption from breed-based regulations; and (d) Dogs that fail the American kennel club canine good citizen test or a reasonably equivalent canine behavioral test are given the opportunity to retest within a reasonable period of time, as determined by the city or county. | RCW 16.08.110(1) | Official code |
| West Virginia | No statewide statute located Related code context: County dog warden; rules and regulations for dog control; prosecution and penalties for violation of ordinances. | W. Va. Code 19-20; 8-12-5 | Official code |
| Wisconsin | Not verified | Not verified | Not verified |
| Wyoming | No statewide statute located Related code context: Regulate or prohibit the running at large within the city limits of any animals, impose a license fee for the keeping or harboring of dogs and establish and provide for the operation of a pound; | Wyo. Stat. Titles 11 and 15 | Official code |
How to read the lookup
Use the state selector, read the scope note, and open the cited statute. For a local decision, check the ordinance that applies to the city or county where the dog will live. This lookup does not determine whether a particular local ordinance is valid.
The tool checks government dog-law provisions. It does not review your lease, HOA documents, or insurance policy. A result in this tool is not a decision about those documents.
Documented code searches
For the following entries, no statewide breed-specific preemption statute was located in the code materials searched. This statement describes this search, not the absence of every possible relevant statute.
Iowa code search
Searched the following official code materials for breed, breed-specific, breed specific, pit bull, and pitbull wording. No local breed-specific-rule preemption provision was located. Local ordinances may still apply.
North Dakota code search
Searched the following official code materials for breed, breed-specific, breed specific, pit bull, and pitbull wording. No local breed-specific-rule preemption provision was located. Local ordinances may still apply.
West Virginia code search
Searched the following official code materials for breed, breed-specific, breed specific, pit bull, and pitbull wording. No local breed-specific-rule preemption provision was located. Local ordinances may still apply.
Wyoming code search
Searched the following official code materials for breed, breed-specific, breed specific, pit bull, and pitbull wording. No local breed-specific-rule preemption provision was located. Local ordinances may still apply.
Frequently asked questions
What is breed-specific legislation?
This lookup checks state-code wording about local rules that are specific to a dog breed or perceived breed. It separates that question from rules about an individual dangerous dog. For example, South Dakota states: "No local government, as defined in § 6-1-12 , may enact, maintain, or enforce any ordinance, policy, resolution, or other enactment that is specific as to the breed or perceived breed of a dog. This section does not impair the right of any local government unit to enact, maintain, or enforce any form of regulation that applies to all dogs." Official source
What states ban pit bulls?
This lookup does not provide a verified list of statewide pit bull bans. Choose a state to check the quoted law on local breed-specific rules. A Not verified result is not a breed ban or permission. Virginia states: "No locality shall prohibit the ownership of a particular breed of dog." Official source
Are there breed restrictions in Florida?
For the local-rule question, read F.S. 767.14 in the Florida row. Its wording includes: "provided that no such regulation is specific to breed, weight, or size". Read the complete quotation for the provision's scope. Official source
Does Washington prohibit breed-specific dog rules?
RCW 16.08.110 uses a conditional rule. Read all the exemption and retesting conditions in the Washington row. The tool labels this result as conditional because the quoted provision says "unless all of the following conditions are met". Official source
Can a dog be dangerous based only on its breed?
The answer requires the applicable law and its scope. South Carolina's dangerous-animal definition states: "An animal is not a "dangerous animal" solely by virtue of its breed or species.". This definition alone does not verify the separate question of local preemption. Official source
Do state breed laws answer rental, HOA, or insurance questions?
This tool checks quoted government dog-law provisions. It does not evaluate a rental agreement, HOA document, or insurance policy. Review the document that applies to your question; the state-law label here is not a determination about it.
Sources
- Arizona: A.R.S. 9-499.04(C).
- California: Food and Agricultural Code 31683; archived official text.
- Delaware: 22 Del. C. 116.
- Florida: F.S. 767.14.
- Maine: 7 M.R.S. 3950.
- Minnesota: Minn. Stat. 347.51, subd. 8.
- Oklahoma: 4 O.S. 46(B).
- South Dakota: S.D. Codified Laws 40-34-16.
- Virginia: Va. Code 3.2-6541.1.
- Washington: RCW 16.08.110(1).
- South Carolina: S.C. Code 47-3-710(C).
- Massachusetts: Mass. Gen. Laws Ch. 140, 157(c); archived official text.
- Nevada: NRS 202.500(6); archived official text.
- New York: Agriculture and Markets Law 107(5); archived official text.
- Rhode Island: R.I. Gen. Laws 4-13-43; archived official text.
- Iowa: Iowa Code Chs. 351, 331, 364.
- North Dakota: N.D.C.C. Chs. 23-36, 40-05, 36-21.
- West Virginia: W. Va. Code 19-20; 8-12-5.
- Wyoming: Wyo. Stat. Titles 11 and 15.
- Iowa: Code search corpus.
- Iowa: Code search corpus.
- North Dakota: Code search corpus.
- North Dakota: Code search corpus.
- West Virginia: Code search corpus.
- West Virginia: Code search corpus.
- Wyoming: Code search corpus.
- State labels: U.S. Census Bureau state reference (labels only).
Not verified entries have no verified statute citation. Quoted excerpts use straight quotation marks and apostrophes for display.
Data as of October 7, 2026.