We have great news! Governor Sisolak has signed Nevada Senate Bill 103 into law—this groundbreaking legislation will remove housing barriers for Nevadans with pets by prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage based on the breed of a family’s dog.

At a time of unprecedented housing challenges, the cost and availability of property insurance is often an unnecessary barrier to housing for responsible dog owners. Insurance companies can inflate rates significantly or deny coverage altogether for families with certain breeds of dogs. This practice occurs all over the country, despite any evidence to support it—insurance claim data does not support the belief that certain breeds of dogs present a bigger risk than non-restricted breeds. As a result, many otherwise responsible dog owners are unreasonably burdened with difficult financial and emotional consequences.

The dogs punished by these arbitrary practices include many common and beloved breeds such as Boxers, Giant Schnauzers, German Shepherds, Chows, Great Danes and Alaskan Malamutes, among many others. With the passage of S.B. 103, insurance companies in Nevada will instead evaluate the temperament and behavior of each dog independently, regardless of breed. 

“S.B. 103 removes housing barriers for thousands of responsible Nevada dog owners—putting a stop to breed-specific insurance coverage—and we are grateful to Senator Scheible for her leadership on this bill,” said Susan Riggs, Senior Director of State Legislation for the ASPCA, Western Division. 

“Every dog, regardless of breed, should be evaluated based on their individual temperament and behavior and we are happy that the Governor agrees. We thank Governor Sisolak for signing S.B. 103 to protect pets and people across the state.” 

Senator Scheible agrees: “Regulation by breed is ineffective and unfairly punitive to responsible dog owners … Nevada has long acknowledged this fact in its existing dangerous dog law, and I’m proud to see my bill signed into law by the Governor. His action will build on our current state law and help to keep Nevada families whole.”

The new law takes effect on January 1, 2022. We thank our hardworking advocates in Nevada for helping us achieve this victory.