What's happening
This bill prohibits housing discrimination or lease restrictions based on a dog's breed, size, or weight, while allowing reasonable regulations and dangerous dog provisions.
Why it matters
Ensures fair access to housing for dog owners. by stopping landlords and public housing authorities from denying occupancy or evicting tenants solely because of a dog's breed, size, or weight, which can particularly affect families and individuals with companion animals.
Helps prevent blanket breed bans that disproportionately impact certain dog breeds. (like pit bulls or Rottweilers), often based on stigma rather than evidence of behavior, thus reducing housing insecurity for responsible dog owners.
Allows for safety and nuisance controls. by permitting landlords and authorities to create and enforce reasonable rules (such as leash requirements or noise limits) and to address genuinely dangerous dogs as defined by existing law, balancing tenant rights with community safety.
Addresses a source of housing discrimination. that can intersect with other forms of bias (such as race or income), since breed-based restrictions often affect marginalized renters more acutely, potentially reducing barriers for vulnerable populations seeking stable housing.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Ban Dog Breed Discrimination
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
15 Co-sponsors
History
- Referred to housing
- Referred to housing
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
End Dog Breed Discrimination
In Senate Committee · Housing, Construction And Community Development · Sponsor Tony Avella
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1594
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 12, 2017
Introduced by M. of A. ZEBROWSKI, OTIS, GLICK, MOYA, SOLAGES, ROSENTHAL, RAIA, BRINDISI, TITONE, COLTON, BICHOTTE, WEPRIN, SKOUFIS, MALLIOTAK- IS, MURRAY, BARRETT, SEAWRIGHT -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. ARROYO, BUCHWALD, COOK, CUSICK, HEVESI, LUPARDO, LUPINACCI, McDONOUGH, RA, SIMON -- read once and referred to the Committee on Housing
AN ACT to amend the public housing law and the real property law, in relation to discrimination against owners of specific breeds of dog
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The public housing law is amended by adding a new section 223-c to read as follows:
§ 223-c. Discrimination against persons who own certain dogs. No person shall be denied occupancy in a dwelling in any project or be subjected to eviction from any such dwelling on the grounds that such person owns a dog of a specific breed, size, or weight and such dog resides with such person. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit any authority from prescribing and enforcing reasonable restrictions or requirements on the ownership of dogs, regardless of their breed, size, or weight, or on the ownership of dangerous dogs as prescribed in section one hundred twenty-three of the agriculture and markets law.
§ 2. Article 7 of the real property law is amended by adding a new section 238-a to read as follows:
§ 238-a. Discrimination in leases with respect to certain dogs. No person, firm or corporation owning or having in charge any apartment house, tenement house or other building or mobile home park used for dwelling purposes shall restrict a tenant's ability to own a dog of a specific breed, size or weight. Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit such persons, firms or corporations from prescribing and enforcing reasonable restrictions or requirements on the ownership of dogs, regardless of their breed, size or weight, or on the ownership of dangerous dogs as prescribed in section one hundred twenty-three of the agriculture and markets law.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01210-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.