Sammamish, WA Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

Research of the Sammamish Municipal Code and the King County animal-control code that Sammamish adopts by reference (SMC 11.05 / KCC Title 11) found no breed-specific ban or restriction targeting pit bulls or any other breed. Washington regulates this area at the state level: under RCW 16.08.110 (effective January 1, 2020), a city or county may not prohibit possession of a dog based on its breed, impose breed-specific requirements, or declare a dog dangerous or potentially dangerous based on breed unless it maintains a reasonable process to exempt individual dogs that pass a recognized canine good-citizen or equivalent behavior test. In practice this means Washington dog regulation is conduct-based: dogs are classified as 'potentially dangerous' or 'dangerous' under RCW 16.08 and the King County code based on behavior such as unprovoked bites or attacks, not breed. If a resident encounters a claim of a breed restriction in Sammamish, it should be verified against the current code, because no such provision was located in published sources. Owners of any breed remain responsible under Washington's strict dog-bite liability law (RCW 16.08.040) and the adopted dangerous-dog requirements.