Kalamazoo, MI Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Ban basis
- Conduct-based, not breed-specific
- Dangerous dog defined
- Attacks, bites or injures without provocation
- Bite duty
- Immediate leash and quarantine, § 7-22
- Notification required
- Public Safety or County Animal Control immediately
- Release authority
- Animal Control and Health Department jointly
- Owner pays
- All impoundment and care costs
Summary
Kalamazoo doesn't regulate dogs by breed. City Code § 7-3 defines a "vicious and dangerous animal" as one that attacks, bites or injures a person or another animal without provocation, and § 7-21 flatly bans owning or harboring any dog that meets that definition, whatever its breed.
VICIOUS AND DANGEROUS ANIMAL Any animal that attacks, bites or physically injures a human being or other animal without provocation. § 7- ... ... 21. Vicious or dangerous dogs. It shall be unlawful for any person to own or harbor any vicious or dangerous dog as defined in § 7-3. § 7-22. Procedure when dog bites person/animal. The owner of any dog which has bitten a human or other animal shall immediately place and keep such dog on a leash, even though it remains on the owner's property and shall immediately notify the Public Safety Department or County Animal Control of all facts known to the owner regarding the incident. The owner shall keep the dog continually under secure quarantine and under such supervision and control as may be required by the Public Safety Department or Animal Control or shall turn the dog over to the care and custody of Animal Control for impoundment until such time as Animal Control and the Health Department determine it is safe to release the dog, at which time all costs for the dog's care shall be paid by the owner to Animal Control.
Full Breakdown
The ban in § 7-21 turns entirely on the conduct-based definition in § 7-3: any animal that attacks, bites or physically injures a human being or other animal without provocation. Once a dog meets that standard, owning or harboring it is unlawful outright, with no permit or insurance path to keep it. Section 7-22 separately governs what happens after a bite: the owner must immediately place and keep the dog on a leash, even on the owner's own property, and must notify the Public Safety Department or Kalamazoo County Animal Control of everything known about the incident right away.
The dog must then remain under secure quarantine and whatever supervision Public Safety or Animal Control requires, or be surrendered to Animal Control for impoundment, until Animal Control and the Health Department jointly determine release is safe. The owner bears every cost of the dog's care during that hold before regaining custody, and the biting incident itself can support a § 7-21 declaration if the dog's conduct meets the § 7-3 definition.
Violations & Fines
Owning or harboring a dog declared vicious or dangerous under § 7-21 defaults, absent a stated fine, to City Code § 1-7: a fine of not more than $500, up to 90 days in jail, or both, with each day of continued harboring a separate offense. An owner who fails to leash, quarantine and report a biting dog under § 7-22 faces the same default penalty and remains liable for all impoundment costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Kalamazoo ban specific dog breeds?
What must I do if my dog bites someone?
Who decides when my quarantined dog can be released?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kalamazoo
How Kalamazoo compares: Cities with No Dog Breed Restrictions·Compare Kalamazoo to another location·View the Michigan animal ordinances overview
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