No Erie County municipality may ban dogs by breed. New York Agriculture and Markets Law Section 107(5) bars any local dangerous-dog program from regulating dogs in a manner specific as to breed, so pit bulls and other breeds cannot be prohibited anywhere in the county.
Breed-specific legislation is preempted throughout New York, including every town and city in Erie County. Under Agriculture and Markets Law Section 107(5), a municipality may adopt its own program for the control of dangerous dogs, but no such program may be less stringent than the state article, and no such program may regulate dogs in a manner that is specific as to breed. That means Buffalo, Amherst, and all other Erie County municipalities are barred from enacting a pit bull ban or any breed-based restriction. Dangerous dogs are handled by individual behavior under the statewide test in AGM Sections 108 and 123: a dog is regulated only after an unjustified attack or a serious imminent threat.
Not applicable; a breed-specific local ordinance would be preempted and void under NY AGM Sec. 107(5). Dogs that attack are addressed as dangerous dogs under AGM Sec. 123, prosecuted by the local municipality.
Other ordinances people look up for this city. Green dot = verified primary-source excerpt.
Erie County, NY
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See how Erie County's breed restrictions rules stack up against other locations.
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