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State & National Dog Legislation states
Alabama Alabama's Emily's Law lets courts order dangerous dogs destroyed or kept under a $100,000 bond, while leash and licence rules are left to counties and cities. Alaska Alaska leaves leashes and licences to local governments; one old statute lets anyone kill a vicious dog at large, and rabies rules sit in a regulation. Arizona Arizona holds owners strictly liable for bites, bars breed from vicious-dog findings, and protects people who break into a hot car to save a pet. Arkansas Arkansas has a Rabies Control Act with a 10-day bite confinement and a misdemeanor for a negligent attack by a known dangerous dog; leashes are local. California California makes owners strictly liable for bites, bars breed-specific dangerous-dog rules, limits tethering, and lets bystanders rescue dogs from hot cars. Colorado Colorado makes owning a dangerous dog a crime, bars breed-specific dangerous-dog rules, and protects people who break into a locked car to rescue a dog or cat. Connecticut Connecticut makes owners liable for dog damage, bans breed-specific town ordinances, limits tethering and licenses every dog through the town clerk. Delaware Delaware has a statewide leash rule and dog licence, strict owner liability, a two-tier dangerous-dog court process, and bans on breed-based local rules. District of Columbia D.C. runs one citywide dog code: annual licence, leash and at-large rules, a mayoral dangerous-dog process, a ban on cruel chaining and a hot-car rescue rule. Florida Florida makes owners strictly liable for bites, runs a dangerous-dog process with $100,000 insurance, and bars breed-specific bite rules; leashes are local. Georgia Georgia's Responsible Dog Ownership Law sorts dogs into dangerous and vicious tiers; rabies, leash and licence rules are run by counties and cities. Hawaii Hawaii requires a licence and microchip for every dog, holds owners liable for damage without proof of past viciousness, and bans harsh tethering methods. Idaho Idaho's 2016 law lets courts label a dog at-risk or dangerous after a bite, and owners are liable for unprovoked injuries; leashes and licences are local. Illinois Illinois' Animal Control Act sets rabies shots, strict liability for unprovoked attacks, a vicious-dog court process and a ban on breed-specific local rules. Indiana Indiana makes owners liable for unprovoked bites to people on legal errands, fines stray dogs, limits tether length and protects hot-car rescuers. Iowa Iowa requires a rabies vaccination for every dog six months or older and makes owners liable when a dog attacks; leashes and dangerous dogs are local. Kansas Kansas has almost no state dog code: bites follow the one-bite rule, bitten dogs are observed 10 days, and leashes and dangerous dogs are local. Kentucky Kentucky makes owners answerable for any damage their dog causes, but leaves leash and licence rules to counties and cities. Louisiana Louisiana makes a dog owner strictly liable for bites the owner could have prevented, and has a court process for dangerous and vicious dogs. Maine Maine bans town breed-specific rules, requires every dog to be licensed, and sets tether length and shelter standards for dogs kept on a chain. Maryland Maryland presumes a biting dog's owner knew it was dangerous, has a detailed tethering law, and leaves dangerous-dog findings to counties and cities. Massachusetts Massachusetts holds owners liable for dog damage, bars breed-specific rules, and has a strict statewide tethering law. Michigan Michigan has a statewide dog licence law, strict liability for unprovoked bites, and a dangerous-animal act that can make a serious attack a felony. Minnesota Minnesota holds an owner liable for an unprovoked attack, requires dangerous dogs to be registered and insured, and bars local breed-only dangerous-dog rules. Mississippi Mississippi requires rabies shots and a tag for every dog 3 months or older but has no statewide bite statute, dangerous-dog law or tethering law. Missouri Missouri makes owners strictly liable for unprovoked bites; licensing, rabies and breed rules sit with counties and cities. Montana Montana's strict bite liability applies only inside cities and towns, and counties and cities, not the state, set leash, licence and vicious-dog rules. Nebraska Nebraska makes dog owners liable for bites to non-trespassers, requires rabies vaccination of every domestic animal, and has a statewide dangerous-dog act. Nevada Nevada limits tethering, protects bystanders who free pets from hot cars, and bars breed-only dangerous-dog findings. New Hampshire New Hampshire licenses every dog 4 months or older through the town clerk and sets statewide fines for nuisance, menace and vicious dog behavior. New Jersey New Jersey makes owners liable for bites, has a detailed tethering law, and its dangerous-dog act overrides local breed rules. New Mexico New Mexico has a statewide Dangerous Dog Act with registration; licensing and leash rules sit with counties and cities. New York New York bars breed-specific dangerous-dog programs, licenses dogs at 4 months through local clerks, and requires shelter for outdoor dogs. North Carolina North Carolina requires a 10-day confinement after a bite, makes owners of dangerous dogs strictly liable, and bars night-time roaming. North Dakota North Dakota leaves leashes and licences to local government, has no dangerous-dog statute, and makes leaving an animal unattended in a vehicle an infraction. Ohio Ohio sorts dogs into nuisance, dangerous and vicious by what they do, requires county registration, and makes owners liable for injuries their dogs cause. Oklahoma Oklahoma holds owners liable when a dog bites without provocation, registers dangerous dogs, and bars local rules that single out a breed. Oregon Oregon requires rabies shots for dogs six months and older, limits tethering to 10 hours a day, and shields people who break into hot cars to rescue animals. Pennsylvania Pennsylvania licenses every dog through the county, requires rabies shots from 12 weeks, regulates dangerous dogs by court finding, and bars local breed bans. Rhode Island Rhode Island has strict statutory tethering limits, a hearing-panel system for vicious dogs, and a state ban on breed-specific local rules. South Carolina South Carolina has a strict-liability bite statute and a dangerous-animal law that cannot rest on breed alone, and leaves leash and licence rules to localities. South Dakota South Dakota lets counties and cities run leash and licence rules, bars local breed-specific rules, and treats a vicious dog as a public nuisance. Tennessee Tennessee makes owners criminally liable for dogs that go uncontrolled in public, with felonies for serious injury, and requires rabies shots by six months. Texas Texas sets statewide dangerous-dog rules, bans chain tethering, requires rabies shots by four months, and lets cities add dog rules that are not breed specific. Utah Utah makes dog owners strictly liable for injuries their dogs cause and voids breed-specific local rules, while leaving leash and licence rules to cities. Vermont Vermont licenses dogs through the town clerk, handles biting dogs by a local hearing, and protects people who force open a hot car to rescue a dog. Virginia Virginia requires every dog four months or older to be licensed and vaccinated, has a court-based dangerous dog system, and bars local bans on owning a breed. Washington Washington makes owners strictly liable for bites, regulates tethering and hot cars, and limits local breed bans to places with a behavior-test exemption. West Virginia West Virginia taxes and registers dogs through the county, requires rabies shots by six months, and holds owners liable when a dog at large causes damage. Wisconsin Wisconsin sets a statewide dog licence tax, requires rabies shots by five months, makes owners liable for dog damage, and shields people who force open cars. Wyoming Wyoming leaves leash, licence and rabies rules to counties and cities, quarantines biting dogs for ten days, and has no dog-bite statute.
State rules only. Cities and counties often add stricter leash, licence, number-of-dogs and breed rules, so check your local code too.