Many people realized for the first time that pit bull dogs were illegal in Denver when Measure 2J showed up on November’s ballot.
2J passed with flying colors, as Denver voters confirmed that they are collar-blind! To appreciate the freedom granted in this measure passing, there must be an understanding of breed specific legislation, where it still exists, and what 2J means about housing opportunity for our lovable pibble pals.
To take a page from our last blog about Breed Specific Legislation, Breed specific legislation, often referred to as “BSL”, is a type of law restricting/prohibiting certain breeds or types of dogs with the intention of decreasing dog attacks. While breeds may be more well defined, the type of dog generally referred to as a “Pitt Bull” is not a breed, but a series of traits a dog may possess.
Breed specific legislation has existed in Colorado since 1989, when Denver first enacted an outright ban on “...any dog displaying the majority of physical traits of any one or more of the above breeds, or any dog exhibiting those distinguishing (physical) characteristics, which substantially conform to the standards established by American Kennel Club or United Kennel Club.” Aurora and Commerce City created a similar ban in 2005, with Lone Tree and Louisville following suit in 2011.
CITY Year Banned Specifically Mentions
Aurora 2005 Pit Bulls
Commerce City 2005 Pit Bulls
Lone Tree It’s Complicated Pit Bulls
Louisville 2011 Pit Bulls
Denver voters were asked to vote “for the City and County of Denver [to] adopt an ordinance authorizing the city to grant a provisional permit to owners or keepers of a pit bull, provided the owner microchips the animal and complies with additional requirements set by Denver Animal Protection.” With 65.84% of Denverites voting “YES” on 2J on Election Day, the repeal of Denver’s longtime ban will go into effect January 1 of 2021.
As more information becomes available, pibble parents will only be more empowered to own and rent in Denver and its surrounding cities. While Denver’s new registry is a huge victory for pitt bull advocates, there are still quite a few places were breed specific legislation still exists.
For more information about navigating buying a house around breed specific legislation, please contact me! I’d be more than happy to help.
