Rock Hill, SC Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

Rock Hill's Chapter 6, Article II (Pets) defines a dangerous animal in Section 6-31 as any animal of the canine family which the owner knows or reasonably should know has a propensity, tendency, or disposition to attack unprovoked, cause injury, or otherwise endanger the safety of human beings or domestic animals, or which makes an unprovoked attack that causes bodily injury to a human being outside the place of confinement, or which is owned or harbored primarily or in part for the purpose of fighting or which is trained for fighting. The same section closes with the explicit statement that 'an animal is not a dangerous animal solely by virtue of its breed.' That breed-neutral clause tracks the state-level rule in S.C. Code § 47-3-720 (definitions) within the Regulation of Dangerous Animals subchapter. South Carolina is not a state that preempts local breed-specific legislation; the General Assembly has not barred municipalities from adopting BSL, and a few SC localities (Beaufort County, Dillon, Travelers Rest, Ware Shoals) have done so. Rock Hill has consistently declined that path and instead applies its dangerous-animal designation by individual behavior. Once an animal is declared dangerous under § 6-31 and the state framework, the owner must confine the animal securely indoors or in a locked pen, register the animal with local law enforcement, maintain at least $50,000 in liability insurance, post warning signage, and follow muzzle-and-leash rules off premises. Private landlords, condominium boards, HOAs, and insurance carriers are not state actors and may still apply breed-based restrictions in their contracts and policies.