Yonkers, NY Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)
Key Facts
- Basis for regulation
- behavior-based, not breed-specific
- Special license fee
- $50 add-on to regular fee
- Liability insurance
- $100,000 minimum required
- Yard fence
- at least 8 feet high
- Public restraint
- 4-foot leash and muzzle
- Breeding
- prohibited for dangerous dogs
Summary
Yonkers doesn't regulate dogs by breed: it licenses and restrains any dog or animal that meets the City Code's behavior-based definition of 'dangerous.' Owners must get a special license, pay a $50 add-on fee, carry $100,000 in liability insurance, and follow strict confinement, leash and muzzle rules.
Any dog or other animal that is a dangerous animal, as defined herein, must obtain a special license from the City of Yonkers and wear a tag or other identifying collar of a conspicuous nature as issued by the City of Yonkers. The requirements of this license are the following: A. An application fee of $50, in addition to the regular required license fee. B. Proof of insurance for the compensation of people and property injured or damages as a result of the actions of this dangerous animal in an amount not less than $100,000, in a form satisfactory to the Corporation Counsel.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4745274; v31 updated 2025-10-28; through 10-28-2025).
Full Breakdown
City Code § 65-1B defines 'dangerous dogs and animals' entirely by conduct: an animal that unprovoked approaches or menaces a person in a dangerous manner, has a known propensity to attack or injure, has bitten or attacked without provocation, is owned or bred for dog fighting, or is used to facilitate a crime. Police and law-enforcement dogs are excluded. There is no breed named anywhere in the definition. Under § 65-4, an owner of a dangerous dog must obtain a special license, pay a $50 fee on top of the regular dog-license fee set in § 65-3, and provide proof of at least $100,000 in liability insurance in a form the Corporation Counsel accepts.
Section 65-6 layers on confinement rules: outdoors, the dog must stay inside a fenced yard with a fence at least eight feet high, chained back at least two feet from the fence line, with a warning sign posted under § 65-7. In public, the dog must be on a leash no longer than four feet and muzzled, and it must wear its city-issued tag at all times. Intentional breeding of dangerous dogs, and possessing two or more for breeding or any other purpose, is barred outright under § 65-6E.
Violations & Fines
Knowingly skipping the dangerous-dog license when one is required is a Class I offense under § 65-3J, punishable by up to one year in jail and a civil penalty as high as $10,000. Yonkers treats a dangerous dog as a 'dangerous instrument' under § 65-26D, exposing an owner who fails to control it to Penal Law penalties on top of chapter penalties, and a violation that causes physical injury to a person is itself a Class I offense under § 65-26E.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Yonkers ban specific dog breeds like pit bulls?
What does a Yonkers dangerous-dog license require?
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Yonkers
How Yonkers compares: Cities with No Dog Breed Restrictions·New York rules heatmap·Compare Yonkers to another location·View the New York animal ordinances overview
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Breed Restrictions in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Westchester County handle breed restrictions.