Caldwell, ID Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

Caldwell takes a conduct-based approach rather than a breed-specific one. City Code section 08-03-25, 'Vicious Animals; Dangerous Animals,' defines a vicious or dangerous animal by behavior: an animal that, when unprovoked, attacks, wounds, bites, or otherwise injures a person on public or private property; an animal with a documented prior history of unprovoked attacks or biting; or an animal kept primarily for fighting or attacking people or other animals. It is unlawful to keep a vicious animal anywhere in the city, and a dangerous animal must be securely confined within an enclosure on the owner's property (or permanently removed from the city if a court of competent jurisdiction so finds). The ordinance includes exceptions: an animal is not deemed vicious if the injured person was trespassing, committing a crime, or teasing or tormenting the animal, or if the dog was defending a person from an unjustified attack; law enforcement dogs acting in their official capacity are also exempt. Caldwell's definitions are based on the individual animal's behavior, not its breed. Idaho has no statewide breed preemption law and no statewide breed ban; instead, Idaho Code 25-2810 governs 'dangerous' and 'at-risk' dogs, letting courts impose secure confinement, leashing, microchipping, and warning-sign requirements. A handful of other Idaho jurisdictions (for example Fruitland, Payette, and Kooskia) have enacted pit-bull-specific ordinances, but Caldwell is not among them.