Cleveland
Cleveland Moves to Rewrite Its Dangerous Dog Law From the Ground Up
An emergency ordinance introduced May 7, 2026 (File 605-2026) would repeal every section of Chapter 604 of Cleveland's city code — which governs dogs that pose a threat to public safety — and replace it with six entirely new provisions.
Cleveland City Council is proposing to tear up and rewrite its entire ordinance governing dangerous dogs.
File 605-2026, introduced May 7 as an emergency ordinance, would repeal every section of Chapter 604 of the city's Codified Ordinances — first enacted and amended over multiple decades — and replace it with six new sections: 604.01, 604.02, 604.03, 604.04, 604.05, and 604.06.
The legislation frames the existing law as governing 'dogs that pose a threat to Public Safety,' and the full repeal implies a complete reconception of how the city defines, identifies, and responds to dangerous animals.
The measure is sponsored by Councilman Michael Polensek and Council President Pro Tem Blaine Griffin and is currently in First Reading. The full text of the replacement sections has not been published on Legistar as of this writing.
Cleveland's current dangerous dog ordinance has faced criticism from multiple directions — animal advocates who argue breed-specific restrictions are ineffective, and residents in neighborhoods that have seen repeated attacks. A complete chapter rewrite suggests the city is attempting a comprehensive overhaul rather than patching an aging law.
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