King County, WA Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

King County's animal code regulates dogs by behavior, not breed. C. 320 defines a potentially dangerous animal as one that, unprovoked, bites or injures a person or domestic animal, chases or approaches someone on a public street or sidewalk in a menacing fashion or apparent attitude of attack, has a known tendency to attack, or acts jointly with another animal doing any of those things. An animal is potentially dangerous regardless of provocation if it enters private property without consent and bites or menaces someone there.

C. 275, the owner has to get a potentially-dangerous-animal registration on top of the regular license and renew it every twelve months. To get that registration within twenty-four days of the designation, the owner must send the manager two current color photos of the animal and prove an escape-proof fence or approved enclosure, a posted warning sign, a microchip on file, current rabies vaccination, and possession of a muzzle, leash, license tag and brightly colored collar. At all times the animal must wear its collar and tag and stay in its approved enclosure on the owner's property; off the property it must be leashed, under an adult's control, and muzzled or crated to International Air Transport Association standards in a vehicle.

410 are exempt. An owner appealing the designation must still keep the animal confined during the entire appeal, and the manager can immediately impound an animal that violates the section, destroying it if the owner does not cure the violation and pay confinement costs and penalties within twenty-four days.