Vestavia Hills, AL Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

Section 4-17(b) of the Vestavia Hills Code of Ordinances bars any person from owning, keeping, or harboring a vicious animal in the city. Section 4-16 defines a vicious animal by its conduct: a known history of attacking without provocation, chasing humans, approaching people with an apparent attitude of attack, or injuring a person or another domestic animal, whether or not it has bitten anyone before. The definition carves out animals assisting a peace officer and animals that bite a trespasser inside a fully enclosed yard or building, so a dog defending its own fenced property does not qualify. Vestavia Hills draws no line based on breed: a Labrador with an attack history meets the definition just as a pit bull would, and a naturally protective breed with no such history does not.

Enforcement runs through the animal control officer and city police, who may enter private property to apprehend a violating animal under section 4-17(a). Section 4-18(a) sets the base penalty: a fine up to the maximum allowed for a misdemeanor under Alabama law, or up to 190 days in jail, or both, with each day of continued violation a separate offense. Beyond that fine, section 4-18(b)(2) lets the municipal court, on conviction, order the animal removed from the city limits, impose conditions on how the owner keeps or controls it, or order it destroyed by the county health department if it is found to endanger public safety. If an owner refuses a removal order, section 4-17(b) authorizes the judge to hold the owner in contempt and have the animal seized and impounded immediately.