Bellevue, NE Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 6-18, dangerous/potentially dangerous dogs
- Classification basis
- Documented behavior only, no breed named
- Determination process
- Notice, 10-day hearing window, Board of Health appeal
- Compliance required
- Spay/neuter, microchip, insurance, muzzle, leash
- Reckless owner trigger
- 3 convictions in 24 months (§ 6-18(I))
- Reckless owner penalty
- 48-month citywide animal-ownership ban
Summary
In the City of Bellevue, Nebraska, § 6-18 regulates dangerous dogs by documented behavior, not breed: any dog that has bitten, seriously injured or been formally declared dangerous or potentially dangerous must be registered, insured, muzzled, confined and microchipped, whatever breed it is.
DANGEROUS DOG. ... A dog that, according to the records of the animal control authority: (a) Has killed a human being; (b) Has inflicted injury on a human being that requires medical treatment; ... (f) Is owned or harbored primarily or in part for the purpose of animal fighting; or (g) By training, disposition, or behavior poses a potential risk of attacking and inflicting injury without provocation upon human beings or other domestic animals. ... (B) It shall be unlawful for any person to keep or harbor a dangerous dog or a potentially dangerous dog, except as otherwise provided in this article.
Full Breakdown
Section 6-18(A) defines DANGEROUS DOG using seven behavior-based tests: it has killed a person; inflicted an injury on a person requiring medical treatment; killed or seriously injured a domestic animal without provocation; ferociously attacked or bitten a person or domestic animal without provocation, or has a history of doing so; was already declared potentially dangerous and then injured a person, animal or threatened safety; was owned or harbored for animal fighting; or, by training, disposition or behavior, poses a potential risk of unprovoked attack. POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS DOG covers lesser unprovoked incidents: a non-medical injury to a person, an injury to a domestic animal, menacing chasing or approaching of a person in public, or a documented propensity to attack or threaten.
No breed is named anywhere in either definition. Section 6-18(B) bans keeping or harboring a declared dangerous or potentially dangerous dog except as the article allows. Determinations go through written notice, a ten-day window to request a hearing before a hearing officer, and an appeal to the City of Bellevue Board of Health under § 6-18(H). A compliant owner must, within the deadlines in § 6-18(J) through (N), spay or neuter and microchip the dog, carry at least $100,000.00 in liability insurance, complete a responsible-pet-ownership class, and keep the dog muzzled, harnessed and on a leash no longer than six feet whenever it leaves the property, under the control of a person at least 19 years old.
Section 6-18(I) declares an owner a reckless owner after three chapter convictions in 24 months or a failure to comply, revoking every pet license the owner holds and barring that owner from owning or living with any animal in Bellevue for 48 consecutive months.
Violations & Fines
Keeping or harboring a declared dangerous or potentially dangerous dog outside the § 6-18 compliance scheme, or failing to meet its spay/neuter, insurance, class or confinement deadlines, exposes the owner to a reckless owner declaration under § 6-18(I): every pet license is revoked, the animal must be surrendered, and the owner cannot own or live with any animal in Bellevue for 48 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Bellevue ban pit bulls or any other dog breed?
What must I do if my dog is declared dangerous?
Can I challenge a dangerous dog determination?
What is a reckless owner in Bellevue?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bellevue
How Bellevue compares: Cities with No Dog Breed Restrictions·Compare Bellevue to another location·View the Nebraska animal ordinances overview
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