Pasco County, FL Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

There is no pit-bull or other breed ban in Pasco County. Under Florida Statute Sec. 767.14 ('Additional local restrictions authorized'), counties may place extra requirements on owners of dogs that have bitten or attacked, but no local regulation may be 'specific to breed, weight, or size.' (A 2023 amendment, SB 942, also removed the old grandfather clause that had let pre-October-1-1990 breed ordinances stand and added weight and size to the prohibition.) Accordingly, Pasco County Code Sec. 14-42 'Dangerous dogs' incorporates F.S. ch. 767 and classifies individual dogs as 'dangerous' based on conduct, defined as a dog that has aggressively bitten, attacked, or inflicted severe injury on a person; has more than once severely injured or killed a domestic animal off the owner's property; or has, when unprovoked, chased or approached a person in a menacing fashion. Once classified, the owner must obtain a certificate of registration and dangerous-dog tag, maintain a proper enclosure, post warning signs, microchip and sterilize the dog, and carry the registration annually. The classification turns entirely on the individual animal's behavior, never its breed.