Wicomico County, MD Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

Wicomico County's dangerous-dog law is entirely behavior-based: § 133-8 contains no list of restricted breeds, and nothing in Ch. 133 singles out a breed by name. A dog becomes 'dangerous' under the section if, without provocation, it has killed or inflicted severe injury, meaning broken bones or disfiguring lacerations requiring sutures or surgery, on a person, or if it was previously found 'potentially dangerous' and afterward bites a person, kills or severely injures another domestic animal off its owner's property, or attacks without provocation. A 'potentially dangerous' determination itself requires that the dog have bitten a person, killed or severely injured a domestic animal off the owner's property, or attacked without provocation, with written notice to the owner of the reasons.

The section does not apply to a dog owned by and working for a government or law-enforcement unit. D bars the owner from leaving it unattended on the property unless it is confined indoors, in a securely enclosed and locked pen, or another restraining structure, and bars taking it off the property unless it is leashed and muzzled or otherwise securely restrained and muzzled. An owner who sells or gives away a dangerous or potentially dangerous dog must notify both the determining authority and the new owner in writing of the dog's history.

Related sections set out a formal potentially-dangerous/dangerous-animal process covering all species, with an appeal to the Animal Appeal Board within seven days under § 133-12.