Most states in the USA have Breed Specific Legislation on the books. Referred to as BSL these laws don’t always state “pit bull” in the wording. However, the laws are most often used to target pit bulls. Other breeds often targeted are Rottweilers and Dobermans.
Which States Allow Pit Bulls?
Because the list of BSL-enforced states is lengthy let’s start with the states that have laws prohibiting BSL or breed-discrimination. These states are California, Colorado, Texas, Illinois, and Florida. The states that don’t have any BSL being enforced or prohibit BSL are Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, and Virginia. Some of these states, such as Utah, have prohibited local governments from making their own BSL thus protecting dog-owners and dogs from unfair and inconsistent laws that only have basis in conjecture.
Unfriendly States for Pit Bulls
The other states either have passed laws banning breeds or their prohibitions against BSL have been repealed. Even if the states haven’t passed laws they have allowed local governments to pass their own laws banning breeds within their borders. Even more disturbing is the fact that these BSL laws are very subjective – they allow dog-owners to be banned if their dogs “appear” to be a so-called “dangerous” breed.
To see if you and your pit bull would be welcome in the BSL states check the city you wish to move to. You might be able to move to a BSL state and avoid the unfriendly municipalities that have banned pit bulls. The 10 states where you and your pit bull are most likely to get the cold shoulder are Iowa, Kansas, Ohio, Missouri, Wisconsin, Mississippi, Arkansas, Michigan, Louisiana, and Kentucky. Iowa is the worst with over 90 municipalities that have BSL. Kentucky has just over 30 municipalities with BSL on the books.
