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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesSometimes. Some insurers use breed lists when deciding whether to offer homeowners or renters liability coverage, while others do not. There is no single national insurer rule or dependable nationwide list of restricted breeds. Whether an injury caused by your dog is covered depends on your state, policy type, insurer’s current underwriting rules, and the wording of the policy you actually receive.
What “breed restrictions” can mean
An insurer may use a breed list when deciding whether to issue or renew a policy, change a premium, or exclude or limit dog-related liability. The list and its effect can differ between insurers and policy forms; a breed-related underwriting rule does not automatically mean the entire policy is unavailable or that every dog-related claim is excluded.
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A decision may also be based on something other than breed alone, such as an individual dog’s bite or claim history, a formal dangerous-dog designation, or another underwriting factor. Those distinctions matter because some state laws restrict decisions based solely on breed but do not necessarily prevent an insurer from considering other factors.
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) says that some insurers use breed lists in homeowners and renters liability underwriting. It also cautions that identifying a dog’s breed from appearance or physical characteristics is not definitive. Lists published for one state or insurer should not be treated as a permanent, nationwide guide to eligibility.
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Which state laws limit breed-based decisions?
State protections vary in scope and policy type. The examples below illustrate differences; they are not a complete survey of state law. For a decision affecting your coverage, check the current statute and contact your state insurance department or a licensed insurance professional.
| State | What the rule addresses | Important scope or qualification |
|---|---|---|
| New York | Insurance Law § 3421 bars specified actions on a homeowners policy based solely on owning or harboring a particular breed or mix. Those actions include refusing to issue or renew, cancellation, premium increases, and excluding, limiting, restricting, or reducing coverage. | The statute preserves an exception for a dog designated dangerous under the cited agriculture and markets law, subject to sound underwriting and actuarial principles reasonably related to loss experience. The provision described here is for homeowners insurance. |
| Arizona | A.R.S. § 20-1510 says breed may not be the sole factor in specified homeowners and renters insurance underwriting or in gathering dog-ownership information. The law’s definition includes actual or perceived breed or mixture. | Arizona’s Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions says the rule applies to new and renewing homeowners and renters policies, including riders and endorsements, but not commercial, excess, or umbrella liability policies. Insurers may act on factors unrelated to breed. |
| Illinois | The Illinois Insurance Code contains a provision barring specified actions on homeowners and renters policies based solely on a dog’s breed. | The provision applies to policies issued, renewed, modified, altered, or amended on or after its stated effective date. Check the current statute and the date that applies to your policy. |
New York Senate Bill S9207’s official status page reports that it passed both chambers in May 2026 and proposed extending the relevant rule to renters insurance. Passage by both chambers does not itself establish enactment or an effective date; the available status information does not confirm either. New York renters should check the current statute or an enacted chapter law before relying on the proposed extension.
Does the answer change for renters, landlords, or umbrella coverage?
Yes. Homeowners, renters, landlord or commercial, umbrella, and excess liability policies can have different coverage terms and may be treated differently under state law. For example, Arizona’s regulator expressly excludes commercial, excess, and umbrella liability policies from the breed-law protections it describes for homeowners and renters coverage.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchDo not assume that a protection applying to a homeowners or renters policy also governs a landlord’s policy or a separate liability policy. Identify every policy that might respond to an injury and ask the insurer about each one.
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How to find out whether your policy covers your dog
- Identify the policy and jurisdiction. Note whether you have homeowners, renters, landlord or commercial, umbrella, or excess coverage, and the state where the policy was issued.
- Read the issued documents. Review the declarations, liability coverage, exclusions, conditions, and endorsements. Look for animal- or breed-related wording and any liability limit, sublimit, or condition that could affect a dog-related injury.
- Ask about the specific dog and the specific risk. Ask whether an injury caused by your dog is covered, whether the insurer’s concern is breed alone or an individual dog’s history, a formal dangerous-dog designation, or another factor, and whether any exclusion affects only animal-related liability or more of the policy.
- Ask about available endorsements. Find out whether an animal-liability endorsement is available and what liability and medical-payments coverage it would add or change. The Florida Insurance Consumer Advocate notes that such an endorsement may add those coverages if an animal injures another person; availability and terms depend on the insurer and policy.
- Request the answer in writing. Ask for the current written underwriting rule and the policy forms or endorsements that apply. Request written confirmation of whether a dog-related injury is covered and whether any exclusion, sublimit, condition, or endorsement changes that answer.
- Save the documents and notices. If you receive a cancellation, nonrenewal, premium change, or coverage exclusion that you believe conflicts with state law, keep the notice and policy documents and contact your state insurance department.
A public comparison or an agent’s general description can help you ask better questions, but neither replaces the issued contract. Maine’s insurance regulator, for example, publishes examples of policy forms and whether listed companies’ underwriting guidelines deny coverage based on breed; the agency warns that its table is not a recommendation and does not guarantee current availability or eligibility. Other policy forms or endorsements may also affect coverage.
What to compare if you can choose a policy
A “no breed list” answer is not enough to establish that a particular injury is covered. Compare the actual terms and current availability of the policies you are considering.
- Dog-related bodily injury: Is it covered, and does the answer change for a particular dog or circumstance?
- Exclusions and restrictions: Does the policy name a breed, exclude animals, or apply another restriction?
- Limits and sublimits: What liability limit applies, and is there a lower limit for animal-related claims? How do medical-payments terms apply?
- Endorsements: Is an animal-liability endorsement offered, and what coverage does it add or alter?
- Underwriting factors: Does the insurer consider individual bite or claim history, a dangerous-dog designation, or other factors in addition to breed?
- Applicability: Does the policy type fall under relevant state protections, and is the coverage currently available to you?
Available sources establish that policy forms, endorsements, underwriting, and eligibility differ; they do not provide comparable premium quotes or a comprehensive ranking of insurers’ coverage. A definitive comparison requires current quotes and the actual forms offered for your location and circumstances.
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Do dog-claim totals show that some breeds are riskier?
No. The NAIC reports that the Insurance Information Institute recorded $1.57 billion paid for nearly 23,000 dog-related injury claims in 2024, with an average cost of about $69,000 per claim. These are aggregate dog-related injury figures, not breed-specific findings. Dog-related incidents include injuries beyond bites, and the NAIC says conclusive data showing that particular breeds drive claims or are innately riskier is lacking. The totals do not establish a causal comparison between breeds.
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