Pasco repealed its breed-specific 'pit bull' restrictions effective December 2020, and no longer bans dogs by breed. Dangerous-dog rules apply to any dog by behavior, not breed. Washington's RCW 16.08.110 also limits breed-based bans.
The City of Pasco previously had breed-specific legislation that imposed special permit, insurance, signage, and confinement requirements on pit-bull-type dogs. The Pasco City Council voted unanimously to repeal those breed-specific rules, with the change taking effect December 12, 2020, so pit bull owners can license their dogs for the normal fee without the former breed-based requirements. Today, Pasco's animal regulations in PMC Chapter 6.05 classify and regulate 'potentially dangerous' and 'dangerous' animals based on an individual animal's behavior, not its breed. This aligns with Washington state law: under RCW 16.08.110 (enacted by House Bill 1026, effective January 1, 2020), a city or county may not prohibit a dog, impose breed-specific requirements, or declare a dog dangerous based solely on its breed unless the jurisdiction maintains a process to exempt any dog that passes the American Kennel Club Canine Good Citizen test or a reasonably equivalent behavioral test. Dogs passing the test must be exempt for at least two years with a chance to re-test. RCW 16.08.090(2) further provides that potentially dangerous dogs are regulated only by local, municipal, and county ordinances. Owners should rely on Pasco's behavior-based dangerous-animal rules rather than any breed assumption.
Because Pasco does not restrict dogs by breed, enforcement focuses on behavior-based 'potentially dangerous' and 'dangerous' animal violations under PMC 6.05.330, which are gross misdemeanors. Any breed-based regulation a Washington city adopts is unenforceable unless it includes the required Canine Good Citizen exemption process.
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See how Pasco's breed restrictions rules stack up against other locations.
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