Framingham, MA Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

Framingham's Animals chapter does not single out any breed. City Code § 206-2 opens the process to any resident: filing a written complaint with the Chief of Police that a dog owned or harbored in the city is a nuisance or dangerous dog because of a vicious disposition, excessive barking, or other disturbance. The city's "hearing authority", defined the same way as under MGL c. 140, § 136A, must investigate the complaint, which includes an examination under oath of the complainant at a public hearing, before deciding whether the dog is in fact a nuisance or dangerous dog under MGL c.

140, § 157. While that review is pending, § 206-5 lets the Animal Control Officer order the dog muzzled or confined to its owner's property for specific reasons: a dog found at large or unmuzzled while a Police Chief confinement order is in effect, a dog that has attacked or bitten a person, a dog that has killed, maimed, or otherwise injured another domesticated animal, or a dog behaving in a way a reasonable person would see as an unjustified imminent threat of injury or death to a person or another animal.

Any owner aggrieved by the hearing authority's order can seek judicial review under MGL c. 140, § 157, per § 206-6. Violations of the broader Dogs article, including a dangerous-dog order, escalate under § 206-7 from a warning on a first offense up to a $100 fine for repeat offenses. The Framingham Police Department and Animal Control Officer share enforcement of this process.