San Francisco Breed Restrictions Rules (2026): What You Need to Know

San Francisco's approach to dog breed regulation is governed primarily by California state law, which imposes a strong preemption on breed-specific legislation. Food and Agricultural Code Section 31683, enacted in 1989, provides that no city, county, or city and county in California may adopt or enforce an ordinance, policy, resolution, or regulation specific to one breed or mixed breed of dog. This means San Francisco cannot ban pit bulls, Rottweilers, or any other breed, and cannot impose breed-specific ownership restrictions such as mandatory muzzling, special insurance requirements, or heightened confinement standards based solely on breed. All dog regulation in San Francisco must be behavior-based — applying equally to all breeds.

San Francisco's dangerous and vicious animal provisions, administered by Animal Care and Control (ACC), apply to any dog of any breed that has bitten a person, attacked another animal, or engaged in threatening behavior. When a dog is reported for such behavior, ACC conducts an investigation and may declare the dog potentially dangerous or vicious based on the specific incident, not the dog's breed. Owners of dogs declared potentially dangerous face requirements including secure confinement, leash and muzzle requirements in public, mandatory spay/neuter, microchipping, and proof of liability insurance of at least $50,000 to $100,000. Dogs declared vicious face even stricter conditions and may be subject to humane euthanasia in the most serious cases.

The one breed-specific requirement in San Francisco is the mandatory spay/neuter ordinance for pit bull-type dogs under Health Code Section 44. This ordinance requires that all pit bull-type dogs (defined to include American Pit Bull Terriers, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, and dogs predominantly of these breeds based on physical characteristics) be spayed or neutered. This breed-specific spay/neuter requirement is lawful under the narrow exception in California Health and Safety Code Section 122331, which permits cities to adopt breed-specific mandatory spay/neuter ordinances even though broader breed bans are preempted. San Francisco adopted this ordinance in response to concerns about pit bull overpopulation in city shelters. Pit bull owners who fail to comply with the mandatory spay/neuter requirement may face fines and ACC enforcement action. Limited exemptions may be available for registered show dogs or dogs with veterinary certification that the surgery would be medically hazardous.

Landlords and homeowner associations in San Francisco may impose their own breed restrictions as a matter of private contract, and renters insurance or homeowner insurance policies may exclude certain breeds. These private restrictions are not government regulations and are not affected by the state preemption on breed-specific legislation. However, California Civil Code Section 4715 limits HOA ability to impose unreasonable pet restrictions. Contact San Francisco Animal Care and Control at (415) 554-6364 for questions about dangerous dog procedures, spay/neuter compliance, or breed-related concerns.