REVIEWED FEBRUARY 2023

Model & noted breed safety laws ::

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.

Model breed-specific ordinances

Model Pit Bull Ordinances
Jurisdiction View Ordinance Type of Ordinance
California
San Francisco Section: 43 Mandatory spaying and neutering: pit bulls
Colorado
Aurora No longer active Bans all fighting breeds: pit bulls, American bulldogs, dogo argentinos, canary dogs, presa canarios, presa mallorquins, tosa inus, cane corsos and fila brasilairos
Denver No longer active Bans: pit bulls (became the basis of the International Municipal Lawyers Association model pit bull ban)
Florida
Miami-Dade County Section: 5-17.6b Bans: pit bulls
Iowa
Council Bluffs Section: 4.20.112 Bans: pit bulls
Des Moines Section: 18-41 to 18-59 Pit bulls declared "high risk"
Keota Section: 4-1-8 Bans: pit bulls
North Carolina
Edenton Section: 90.43 Pit bulls, rottweilers and chow chows declared "potentially vicious"
South Carolina
Beaufort County Section: 14-30 Mandatory spaying and neutering: pit bulls, American bulldogs, American bullies and cane corsos
Wisconsin
Village of Fall River Section: 7-1-11 Bans: pit bulls

Noted breed-specific ordinances

Noted Pit Bull Ordinances
Jurisdiction View Ordinance Type of Ordinance
Arkansas
Garland County Section: 10-16 Declares pit bulls, dogo argentinos, presa canarios and cane corsos "high risk breed"
Little Rock Section: 6-19 Pit bulls declared "potentially dangerous," mandatory spaying and neutering, microchipping and anti-tethering requirements
California
Lancaster Section: 6.08, 6.08.020 Mandatory spaying and neutering: pit bulls and rottweilers
Kansas
El Dorado Section: 6.20.040, 6.20.041, 6.20.045 Mandatory spaying and neutering pit bulls; no more than two per household; felons prohibited from ownership
Wichita Section: 6.04, 6.04.052 Mandatory spaying, neutering and microchip: pit bulls; bans wolf-dog hybrids
Maryland
Prince George's County Section: 3-185.01 Bans: pit bulls
Michigan
Alma Section: 10-58 Pit bulls declared "vicious" by rebuttable presumption
Saginaw Section: 94.025, 94.026 Restricts top 5 most dangerous dog breeds - "Any dog of a breed that appears consistently in the top five (5) of the breeds on credible, analytical listings of 'Most Dangerous Dogs' as verified and supplemented by local data and records for Saginaw County."
Ypsilanti Charter Township Section: 14-1 Mandatory spaying and neutering: pit bulls
Nebraska
Falls City Section: 6-218 Restricts: pit bulls, rottweilers, bullmastiffs, cane corsos, canis panthers (Donovan pinschers) and presa canarios, including mandatory spaying and neutering and passing a Canine Good Citizen test or its equivalent
Omaha Section: 6-157, 6-163, 6-165 Restricts: pit bulls, dogo argentinos, presa canarios, cane corsos and American bulldogs, mandatory insurance
Ohio
Bexley Section: 618.16 Restricts: pit bulls, including mandatory insurance, spaying and neutering and the prohibition of electric fencing
Washington
Prosser Section: 6.40.010 Pit bulls declared "potentially dangerous," mandatory insurance and microchipping, exemption for passing Canine Good Citizen test or its equivalent
Wisconsin
Augusta Section: 11.05 Pit bulls, rottweilers and wolf-dog hybrids declared "high risk," mandatory leashing, muzzling, insurance and anti-tethering requirements

Related court decisions: