Sammamish, WA Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Basis
- conduct (vicious propensities), not breed
- Governing text
- SMC 11.05.015 adopting KCC 11.04.230(H)-(I)
- Off-premises rule
- must be securely leashed or confined by a capable handler
- Enforcement
- King County District Court bond/bail schedule
- No breed list
- no breed named or restricted in the local code
Summary
Sammamish has no breed-specific ban; instead it adopts King County's conduct-based vicious-animal nuisance rules. Municipal Code 11.05.015 makes it a nuisance for any animal exhibiting 'vicious propensities' to endanger people or property, and for a vicious animal to be off its owner's premises unless securely leashed or confined by a capable handler.
(H) Any animal that has exhibited vicious propensities and constitutes a danger to the safety of persons or property off the animal's premises or lawfully on the animal's premises. However, in addition to other remedies and penalties, the provisions of this chapter relating to vicious animals shall apply; (I) Any vicious animal or animal with vicious propensities that runs at large at any time is off the owner's premises not securely leashed on a line or confined and in the control of a person of suitable age and discretion to control or restrain the animal. However, in addition to other remedies and penalties, the provisions of this chapter relating to vicious animals shall apply;
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance O2026-598, and legislation passed through August 18, 2026).
Full Breakdown
230(H) and (I) as Sammamish's dangerous-animal standard, so any dog can be regulated once its conduct crosses the line, regardless of breed. Subsection (H) declares a nuisance any animal that 'has exhibited vicious propensities and constitutes a danger to the safety of persons or property off the animal's premises or lawfully on the animal's premises,' and both (H) and (I) state that 'in addition to other remedies and penalties, the provisions of this chapter relating to vicious animals shall apply,' meaning the adopted King County Code's separate vicious-animal enforcement provisions govern beyond the nuisance declaration itself; that enforcement detail is not reproduced in the Sammamish code text on file.
Subsection (I) further requires that once an animal is designated vicious or shows vicious propensities, it may never be off the owner's premises unless 'securely leashed on a line or confined and in the control of a person of suitable age and discretion to control or restrain the animal,' a stricter standard than the ordinary 16-foot leash rule that applies to non-vicious dogs elsewhere in the same section. 040.
Violations & Fines
A vicious-animal nuisance is enforced as an infraction or offense under SMC Titles 7 and 11, using the King County District Court's bond or bail schedule for comparable King County cases (SMC 11.05.050), and the adopted King County vicious-animal provisions supply additional remedies and penalties beyond the nuisance declaration itself.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Sammamish ban pit bulls or other specific dog breeds?
What counts as a 'vicious' animal under Sammamish's code?
Can I walk a vicious dog on a normal leash in Sammamish?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sammamish
How Sammamish compares: Cities with No Dog Breed Restrictions·Compare Sammamish to another location·View the Washington animal ordinances overview
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Breed Restrictions in Nearby Cities
How other cities in King County handle breed restrictions.