Jackson, MS Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

Sec. 18-101 defines a "dangerous dog" as one that causes injury to a person or domestic animal, or that has already been designated potentially dangerous and then engages in threatening behavior. A "potentially dangerous dog" is one that, without provocation, chases or menaces a person or domestic animal aggressively, or that has run at large and been impounded or its owner cited two or more times within any 12-month period. Under Sec. 18-102 and Sec. 18-103, the animal control director must open an investigation within three days of learning of an incident, notify the owner in writing by certified mail or hand delivery within five days of completing it, and the owner may petition the court for review within five business days of the determination.

Sec. 18-106 requires the owner of a declared dog to obtain a certificate of registration by showing they are 18 or older, the dog has a valid license and current rabies vaccination, the owner has a proper enclosure (a locked pen, fenced yard, or structure at least six feet wide, 12 feet long and six feet high), an annual registration fee is paid on top of regular licensing fees, and the dog is microchipped with the chip registered to the animal control authority. Sec. 18-107 requires a potentially dangerous dog to stay inside its proper enclosure unless under the control of a responsible adult, muzzled, and restrained on a lead no longer than four feet; a declared dangerous dog must otherwise stay exclusively on the owner's property except for veterinary care.

Sec. 18-104 exempts law-enforcement dogs and dogs that were provoked, defending themselves, their offspring, or a nearby person from ever being declared dangerous or potentially dangerous.