Blue Springs, MO Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

Section 215.010 defines DANGEROUS ANIMAL by conduct: an animal that has evidenced a disposition, propensity or tendency to attack or bite a person or another animal without provocation, or that approaches a person in a vicious or terrorizing manner on streets, sidewalks or public grounds without provocation. A documented bite on one or more separate occasions in Police or Animal Control records is prima facie evidence the animal is dangerous, and courts weighing a declaration may consider provocation, location, the reason for the attack, whether the animal was acting protectively or had been tormented, the attack's seriousness, and prior attacks; the Code names no breed anywhere in that test.

Section 215.160 makes it illegal to harbor, keep or own a dangerous animal anywhere in Blue Springs. Section 215.170 sets the process: on a written complaint, the Animal Control Officer or a Police Officer investigates, and if the animal qualifies, issues a summons for a Section 215.160 violation and gives the owner three days' written notice to remove the animal from the City, notifying Animal Control of its new location. That three-day notice is skipped, and the animal is seized, impounded or killed immediately if seizure is unsafe, whenever the animal has already caused serious physical harm or death or has escaped and is at large.