NC allows dog breed restrictions: These 2 cities label certain breeds 'potentially vicious'

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While nonexistent at a federal level, "breed-specific legislation" or "BSL" is legal — and very much in practice — in many states across the country. However, laws enforcing stricter regulations on certain dog breeds are controversial, and even illegal in many other areas.

This means that cities may enact breed-specific rules and restrictions. There are a few areas in the state that have active restrictions on certain breeds.

Here's what to know about BSL, breed restrictions in N.C. and more.

Breed-specific legislation (BSL) is the blanket term for laws that either regulate or ban certain dog breeds in an effort to decrease dog attacks on humans and other animals.

"The problem of dangerous dogs will not be remedied by the 'quick fix' of breed-specific laws — or, as they should truly be called, breed-discriminatory laws," the ASPCA website said.

Breed-specific legislation in North Carolina

While BSL is legal at a state level in N.C., only a few areas actually have legislation around specific breeds. N.C. law firm Campbell & Associates provided information on these rules on a dedicated webpage.

Two jurisdictions in North Carolina have breed-specific regulations. The city of Edenton has declared all butt terrier breeds, Rottweilers, and Chow Chows to be “potentially vicious.”

The city of Lumberton has declared all bull terrier breeds to be “potentially vicious. The breeds are not banned completely in those jurisdictions, but must be registered and kept restrained.

In all North Carolina jurisdictions, any animal that is being kept specifically for fighting, regardless of the breed, is considered “potentially dangerous.”

These laws also mean that if a person or pet is injured by one of these regulated breeds within those cities, the dog's owner is subject to the "strict liability law." This means that the owner is responsible for all damages caused by the pet without specific evidence of negligence.