Breed-Specific Legislation Map
Geographically view the current status of BSL across the United States
- Breed-specific legislation is on the decline with more areas repealing or rejecting it.
- Roughly 20 states have laws preventing towns from implementing BSL. (click the tools on the left of the map to view these states)
- Animal ordinances are trending toward science-based, breed-neutral laws. You can see examples of those in our Advocacy Library.
- Breed-specific legislation has its roots in racism and is a violation of constitutional rights.
- With our legal action fund, we’re working to end BSL by helping dog owners take their local governments to court.
- Data is clustered in pie charts by location. Zoom in or click on a pie chart to uncluster the data.
- Click on an individual pin to view detailed information about that location’s BSL history.
- Use the map legend on the left to filter the data points based current BSL outcome.
- Use the search function to quickly find details about a location.
Our Current Court Cases against places with BSL
Williston, North Dakota
Williston’s “pit bull” dog ban has been in effect since 1987. In that time, it has been arbitrarily enforced based on animal control officers’ subjective opinion of what constitutes a “pit bull.” Fines and charges vary and seem to impact underserved communities more negatively. This is consistent with what we know of breed-specific legislation – it is a way for officials to enact discrimination against citizens.
Council Bluffs, Iowa
Council Bluffs’ “pit bull” dog ban was established in 2004. Since then, it has violated the constitutional rights of dog owners. We’re helping local dog owners take the city to court, because no one should have to choose between their family member and their home.
Lawsuit filed
Keota, Iowa
Williston’s “pit bull” dog ban has been in effect since 1987. In that time, it has been arbitrarily enforced based on animal control officers’ subjective opinion of what constitutes a “pit bull.” Fines and charges vary and seem to impact underserved communities more negatively. This is consistent with what we know of breed-specific legislation – it is a way for officials to enact discrimination against citizens..
We requested that the City of Keota disclose the data set used in their cited research. They have failed to present this data.
How can you help?
Help us collect data about the personal impact of breed restrictions, including BSL, by taking our survey.
Download and read our Breed-specific legislation toolkit, full of research and other information to help you advocate on behalf of families affected by these policies.
