Maryland County Lifting Its Pit Bull Ban After Nearly 30 Years of Enforcement

After a nearly three-decade ban, pit bulls will be welcomed back to Prince George’s County, Maryland.

Authorities in the county, located in Maryland near Washington, D.C., outlawed pit bull ownership in 1997 due to what it viewed as a possible threat to public safety, per The Independent, NBC affiliate 4 Washington, and CBS affiliate WUSA9. But after new legislation was passed unanimously in November 2025, Prince George’s County will once again allow pit bulls to be kept as pets, nearly 30 years after the breed was banned.

Pit bulls have long been subject to the misconception that they are inherently violent animals, but as the American Kennel Club noted, “dangerous dogs” come from irresponsible breeders and owners, not from a specific breed. Still, pit bulls have suffered due to stereotypes that they are aggressive because of their forced participation in dog-fighting rings, causing some to deem the dogs as “unadoptable,” per WUSA9.

Prince George’s County’s new legislation regarding pit bulls, approved 7-0 by the county council on Nov. 18, includes safeguards and an accountability framework for pit bull owners, 4 Washington reported.

Keith Holland, a county resident and pit bull owner, had to send his dog, Thanos, to a different Virginia county because of the ban. He effectively had a long-distance relationship with the pup — but thankfully, those days are numbered.

“Hold the owners accountable for the bad behaviors of dogs. I think that’s going to create a more safe and enjoyable P.G. County for all residents and for all pet owners,” he said

County council chair Ed Burroughs said in a press release, per WUSA9, that the new legislation “prevents the inhumane euthanasia of countless dogs who pose no threat” while also bolstering protections for county residents against actual dangerous dogs. The new law focuses on “behavior, not breed,” the release stated.

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Burroughs added that, despite the longstanding ban, thousands of pit bulls still live in Prince George’s County, meaning the estimated $3 million the county spent each year to enforce the ban was wasted.

“Right now, the ban is in effect, and right now, there are approximately 30,000 pit bulls living in Prince George’s County today,” he said. “The ban that we’re spending $3 million a year to enforce, the ban that we’ve spent $100 million to enforce is not working.”

Prince George’s County is one of the largest U.S. municipalities with a breed ordinance in place. According to The Washington Post, the ban will officially be lifted in January 2026.