Champaign, IL Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Basis
- Behavior-based, not breed-specific
- Dangerous dog sign
- 8.5x11 inches, $5 from Police Dept
- Leash requirement
- Required unless in secure enclosure
- Vicious dog outcome
- Court-confirmed; may be euthanized
- Landlord duty
- Cannot knowingly allow vicious dog tenancy
Summary
Champaign does not regulate dogs by breed. Instead, City Code § 7-6 governs individually declared 'dangerous' dogs: owners must post an 8½-by-11-inch warning sign purchased from the Police Department for $5 and keep the dog leashed anytime it isn't secured in an enclosure it cannot escape. Section 7-7 separately bans keeping any dog a court finds 'vicious.'
(a)No person shall keep or harbor any dangerous animal in violation of this section within the City. Such animals are hereby declared nuisances and are subject to impoundment.(b)All owners or keepers of dogs found to be dangerous must post in clear view at all times, and in the most conspicuous or prominent point of entry to the premises, a sign indicating dangerous dog on the premises. Such sign shall be at least eight and one-half (8½) inches by eleven (11) inches in size, and shall contain in words and pictures, a clear indication that a dangerous dog is on the premises. Signs meeting the requirements of this paragraph shall be made available at the Champaign Police Department for purchase by the public for a fee of five dollars ($5.00).(c)All dogs found to be dangerous must be controlled by a leash whenever the dog is not contained within an enclosed area or structure located on the owner's or keeper's property from which the dog could not voluntarily leave.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 80).
Full Breakdown
No provision in Chapter 7 names or restricts a dog breed; the ordinance is behavior-based per animal. Under § 7-6(a), a dog individually determined to be dangerous is declared a nuisance and subject to impoundment. 00. Section 7-6(c) requires the dog to be leashed whenever it is not confined in an enclosed area or structure it cannot voluntarily leave. Section 7-7 addresses dogs found 'vicious': no person may keep, harbor, sell or give away a vicious animal, and any such animal is a nuisance subject to impoundment.
Under § 7-7(b), an impounded animal is returned to its owner only if it is not found to be vicious; if a court confirms it is vicious, the City turns the animal over to an appropriate agent or agency for humane destruction. Section 7-7(c) bars a landlord or landlord's agent from knowingly permitting a tenant to move in or keep a vicious dog, and requires notifying the tenant to remove it immediately upon learning of it. Both sections exempt police dogs used or confined per department policy.
Violations & Fines
A dog declared dangerous without the required sign or leash control is a Code violation subject to impoundment as a nuisance under § 7-6(a). A vicious dog may be impounded and, if a court confirms the finding, turned over for humane destruction under § 7-7(b). A landlord who knowingly permits a vicious dog on rental property violates § 7-7(c) independently of the dog owner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Champaign ban pit bulls or other specific breeds?
What must an owner do once a dog is declared dangerous?
What happens to a dog a court finds 'vicious'?
Can a landlord let a tenant keep a vicious dog?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Champaign
How Champaign compares: Cities with No Dog Breed Restrictions·Compare Champaign to another location·View the Illinois animal ordinances overview
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