Cities with No Dog Breed Restrictions (2026)

The First 25 of 579 Places in List Order: Least Restrictive Level First

This list is a directory grouped by level, not a measurement. Places are ordered by the restriction level recorded for each rule, least restrictive first: Few Restrictions, Light Restrictions, Some Restrictions, Significant Restrictions, Heavy Restrictions. The level is a label stored with the rule, and this page does not calculate it from fines, hours, fees or any other figure. Within a level, places are listed alphabetically by name, so position inside a level carries no meaning. The least restrictive level, Few Restrictions, includes places whose code sets no rule on the topic.

• Akron, OHFew RestrictionsNone. Ohio repealed BSL in 2012

  Akron does not enforce breed-specific legislation. Ohio repealed its statewide pit bull designation in 2012. Dogs are regulated based on individual behavior. Dogs declared dangerous or vicious face additional requirements regardless of breed.

• Albuquerque, NMFew RestrictionsNone

  Albuquerque has no breed-specific ban; the HEART Ordinance regulates dogs by individual behavior, defining 'Aggressive' through objective observation rather than breed. New Mexico's Dangerous Dog Act likewise defines dangerous and potentially dangerous dogs strictly by conduct, not breed.

• Allen, TXFew RestrictionsNone - state preempted

  Allen has no breed-specific legislation. Texas Health & Safety Code Sec. 822.047 prohibits municipalities from regulating dogs based on breed. Dangerous dog determinations are behavior-based under Lillian's Law.

• Allentown, PAFew RestrictionsProhibited statewide (no breed-specific local law)

  Allentown cannot ban or restrict any dog breed. Pennsylvania's Dog Law (3 P.S. Sec. 459-507-A) expressly abrogates local dangerous-dog ordinances and forbids any municipality from prohibiting or limiting a specific breed, so breeds such as pit bulls and Rottweilers are legal citywide and are regulated only by behavior under the state dangerous-dog law.

• Amarillo, TXFew RestrictionsProhibited by Texas state law (HB 292)

  Amarillo does not impose breed-specific bans. Texas state law (HB 292, 2023) prohibits municipalities from banning specific dog breeds. Amarillo enforces behavior-based dangerous dog provisions.

• Anaheim, CAFew RestrictionsNone (state preemption)

  Anaheim does not impose breed-specific restrictions. California state law (Food & Agriculture Code 31683) prohibits breed-specific bans. Dangerous and vicious dogs are regulated based on behavior under state law and AMC Chapter 8.08.

• Anchorage, AKFew Restrictions

  Anchorage's animal code classifies dogs as dangerous by specific bite or aggression behavior under AMC 17.40, not by breed: there's no pit bull or breed-specific ban in the Municipal Code.

• Ann Arbor, MIFew RestrictionsNone in Ann Arbor code

  Ann Arbor's dangerous-animal definition expressly excludes breed as a factor: City Code § 9:45(2) says an animal is not dangerous solely 'because of its breed or perceived breed.'

• Antioch, CAFew Restrictions

  California law bars Antioch from writing breed-specific dangerous-dog rules: Cal. Food & Agric. Code § 31683 lets cities adopt their own "potentially dangerous or vicious" dog program but forbids making it specific as to breed. Antioch's own ordinance, AMC §§ 6-1.801 through 6-1.805, applies a purely behavior-based test instead.

• Apopka, FLFew RestrictionsProhibited statewide

  No breed bans allowed in Apopka. FL Statute 767.14 preempts local breed-specific legislation statewide. Dangerous dog classification under FL 767 is behavior-based, not breed-based. Pit bulls, Rottweilers, and other breeds fully legal.

• Atlanta, GAFew RestrictionsNone: enforcement is breed-neutral

  Atlanta Code § 18-10 bars breed-specific dog ordinances outright; instead, the Fulton-portion dangerous/vicious dog classification system (§§ 18-115, 18-170–18-173) targets individual dogs by their own bite or attack history, not their breed.

• Aurora, COFew RestrictionsPit bull, Am. Staffordshire, Staffordshire Bull

  Aurora has no breed ban: pit bull-type dogs follow the same rules as any other dog under City Code Chapter 14.

• Bay County, FLFew RestrictionsPreempted statewide

  Breed-specific dog bans are prohibited in Florida, so Bay County cannot outlaw any breed. Section 767.14 lets local governments regulate dangerous dogs but bars any rule specific to breed, weight, or size. A 2023 amendment ended the last grandfathered ban.

• Baytown, TXFew RestrictionsNone: no BSL in Baytown

  Baytown does not have breed-specific legislation (BSL). No dog breeds are banned or subject to special restrictions within the city. Texas state law does not ban specific breeds and generally preempts local breed bans. Baytown enforces dangerous dog laws based on individual dog behavior rather than breed under Chapter 14 and Texas Health & Safety Code Chapter 822.

• Bexar County, TXFew RestrictionsProhibited statewide

  Texas preempts breed-specific laws under TX Health and Safety Code 822.047, so Bexar County and San Antonio cannot ban any breed. Lillian's Law applies to any dangerous dog regardless of breed.

• Birmingham, ALFew RestrictionsNone (city or state)

  Birmingham does not impose a breed-specific ban. Alabama's dangerous-dog law (Emily's Law) is expressly breed-neutral: a dog is judged dangerous by its conduct, regardless of breed, which constrains any local breed-specific legislation.

• Boca Raton, FLFew RestrictionsProhibited by Florida law

  Boca Raton does not have breed-specific legislation banning particular dog breeds. Florida state law (F.S. 767.14) prohibits local governments from enacting breed-specific regulations.

• Boston, MAFew Restrictions

  Boston runs no breed-specific ban. Under Code § 16-1.9B.2, a dog cannot be deemed dangerous "based upon the breed of the dog," and the Hearing Authority of the Animal Care and Control Unit may not regulate dogs "in a manner that is specific to breed," citing M.G.L. Chapter 140, Section 157(c).

• Boulder County, COFew RestrictionsNone

  Boulder County has no breed-specific dog ban. Colorado state law (C.R.S. 18-9-204.5) regulates dangerous dogs by behavior, not breed, and C.R.S. 18-9-204.5(5)(b) bars any local regulation that is specific as to breed. The county handles risky dogs through its vicious-dog process.

• Brookline, MAFew RestrictionsNo breed-specific ordinance in Brookline

  Brookline has no breed-specific legislation. Massachusetts does not permit BSL under state law. Dangerous dog classification is behavior-based under MGL c. 140. Brookline has banned exotic animals in traveling shows.

• Broward County, FLFew RestrictionsRequired under FL 767.12

  FL 767.14 (SB 942, effective October 1, 2023) preempts local breed-specific legislation. Broward County cannot ban any dog breed. Dangerous dog classification under FL 767 is based on individual behavior.

• Brownsville, TXFew RestrictionsNone in Brownsville

  Brownsville does not impose breed-specific bans. Texas state law does not preempt local breed-specific legislation, but Brownsville focuses on dangerous dog determinations based on individual behavior.

• Butte County, CAFew RestrictionsNone (preempted)

  Butte County does not impose any breed-specific ban or designation of dangerous or vicious dogs. California Food and Agricultural Code § 31683 expressly preempts breed-specific potentially-dangerous or vicious designations; only spay/neuter and breeding ordinances may be breed-specific under Health and Safety Code § 122331.

• Cambridge, MAFew RestrictionsNone (state preempted)

  Cambridge does not impose breed-specific restrictions; Massachusetts General Law Chapter 140 Section 157A prohibits cities from regulating dogs based on breed.

• Cary, NCFew RestrictionsNone

  Cary does not impose breed-specific legislation. North Carolina state law addresses dangerous dogs regardless of breed. Individual dogs may be designated as dangerous or potentially dangerous based on behavior.

State-by-State Breakdown

How each state leans overall, counted from every rule on record for this topic in that state. The counts include places that are not listed above. Columns run from Heavy Restrictions to Few Restrictions.

Complete List

The other 554 places, in the same order: by level, then by name.

Breed Restrictions rules by state →

Frequently Asked Questions