Prince George's County, MD Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Permit required
- Annual special permit, $25 fee
- Defines Pit Bull
- Staffordshire, Am. Staffordshire, Am. Pit Bull Terrier
- Also includes
- Dogs with predominant Pit Bull appearance
- Enacted
- CB-097-2025
- No-provocation attack
- Mandatory humane destruction, § 3-116.01(b)
- Owner penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine, 6 months jail
Summary
Prince George's County Code § 3-146.01 makes anyone owning, keeping, or harboring a Pit Bull Terrier get an annual special permit and pay a $25 fee to the Department, on top of the standard pet license. Section 3-101(62) defines the breed broadly to include Staffordshire Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, and any dog that looks predominantly like one.
Application for a special permit and fee shall be made to the Department. All persons owning, keeping or harboring a Pit Bull Terrier shall obtain a special permit and shall pay an annual fee of $25. The Department shall administer Pit Bull Terrier special permits and fees. The provisions of licensing in this Subtitle shall apply to Pit Bull Terriers.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 2026 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Section 3-101(62) defines "Pit Bull Terrier" to include the Staffordshire Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, and American Pit Bull Terrier breeds, any dog with the appearance of being predominantly one of those breeds (meaning it exhibits more of that breed's physical characteristics than any other), and any dog ever registered as a Pit Bull Terrier. 01, added by CB-097-2025, requires anyone owning, keeping, or harboring such a dog to apply to the Department for a special permit and pay a $25 annual fee, and states that the Subtitle's ordinary licensing provisions, including the $25 base license fee and the $10 spay/neuter discount under Section 3-146, still apply on top of the special permit.
A Pit Bull can also be independently declared a "dangerous animal" under Section 3-136 if it bites or attacks without provocation, triggering the confinement, muzzling, and mandatory microchipping conditions of Section 3-137. 01(b) singles out the breed for a stricter outcome: a Pit Bull that kills or injures a person or a domestic animal without provocation must be humanely destroyed, and its owner faces a separate criminal fine and jail exposure.
Violations & Fines
Owning a Pit Bull without the Section 3-146.01 special permit exposes the owner to the default civil-penalty schedule in Section 3-116(a)(5): $25 for a first offense, $50 for a second within 24 months, and $100 after that. If a Pit Bull attacks and kills or injures a person or another pet without provocation, Section 3-116.01(b) requires the dog to be humanely destroyed and lets the court fine the owner up to $1,000 or jail them for up to six months, and any related dangerous-animal finding under Sections 3-136/3-137 separately carries a $500 to $3,000 civil fine under Section 3-116(a)(6).
Frequently Asked Questions
Does my dog count as a "Pit Bull" under County law even if it's mixed breed?
What do I have to do to legally own a Pit Bull in Prince George's County?
What happens if my Pit Bull kills someone's pet without being provoked?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Prince George's County
How Prince George's County compares: Cities with No Dog Breed Restrictions·Compare Prince George's County to another location·View the Maryland animal ordinances overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.