Warren, MI Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

Article VIII does not target specific breeds; instead § 7-91 defines a 'potentially dangerous dog' as one that menaces or aggressively bites a person or animal without a severe injury, and a 'dangerous dog' as one that causes severe injury, kills, or is used in a crime such as dogfighting. After an animal control or police officer investigates and issues a citation, the 37th District Court holds a hearing and decides the classification by a preponderance of the evidence; a jury is not available. A dog found potentially dangerous cannot return home until the owner installs a self-locking, secure fence with a posted 'Warning Dangerous Dog' sign, uses a leash no longer than four feet off-property, microchips the dog, carries at least $250,000 in liability insurance, has the dog spayed or neutered if over 12 weeks old, and completes the AKC Canine Good Citizen program or equivalent.

The owner must then register the dog annually with the city clerk and pay a registration fee, and after three violation-free years may petition to remove the classification. A dog found dangerous is not permitted in the city at all: it is impounded and euthanized no sooner than 10 days after the determination is upheld and all appeals are exhausted, unless another municipality's chief administrative or animal control officer agrees in writing to accept the dog. Visiting dogs already classified elsewhere are not subject to Warren's possession requirements but must still be microchipped before release from any Warren impoundment.