Lawton, OK Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

Article 5-6, titled Prevention of Animal Attack/Bites, gives the animal welfare division authority under Section 5-6-601 to order case-by-case preventive measures such as a locked enclosure, muzzling, liability insurance of at least $1,000,000, spay/neuter, and microchipping when it weighs factors including the animal's behavior, size, temperament, breed, and capacity for inflicting serious injury, along with aggravating circumstances like a prior unprovoked bite, a nearby child under thirteen, or training for fighting or attack. Section 5-6-602 draws a hard line around that authority: the article's provisions cannot be interpreted as authorizing preventive measures against an entire breed of animals.

Breed can inform an officer's assessment of one particular animal, but it cannot be the basis for regulating a breed as a class. That same behavior-based approach runs through Chapter 5's separate dangerous-animal article. Section 5-2-201 defines a "dangerous animal" as any animal that has inflicted a severe injury without provocation or that aggressively attacks in an apparent attempt to do so, regardless of breed, and excludes bites sustained by trespassers, provocateurs, or people committing a crime on the property. An owner of a dangerous animal must obtain a certificate of registration under Section 5-2-202 by showing a properly locked enclosure with a warning sign, at least $1,000,000 in liability coverage, proof the animal is spayed or neutered and microchipped, a muzzle, and a city license; ownership of a registered dangerous animal cannot be transferred within city limits.