Breed-specific bans are illegal in Massachusetts. MGL c.140 §157 bars every Hampshire County town from regulating dogs by breed. No town may ban pit bulls; a dog is regulated only for its own dangerous behavior.
Massachusetts prohibits breed-specific legislation statewide. MGL c.140 §157 states plainly that no city or town shall regulate dogs in a manner specific to breed, so Northampton, Amherst, Ware, and every other Hampshire County community are barred from banning or restricting pit bulls, Rottweilers, or any breed. Regulation is behavior-based: a town's hearing authority may declare an individual dog a nuisance or dangerous only after specific conduct, then impose leashing, muzzling, or secure confinement on that dog. Private landlords and insurers may still restrict breeds by contract, since the statute limits only municipal ordinances.
A breed-based town ordinance is preempted and unenforceable under MGL c.140 §157. A dog is restricted only through the individual dangerous-dog hearing process based on its own behavior.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
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See how Hampshire County's breed restrictions rules stack up against other locations.
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