Italian law is clear and, once you know it, easy to follow: under the Ministry of Health's national ordinance on protecting the public from dog aggression — first issued on 6 August 2013 and most recently extended on 16 July 2026, for a further 12 months from 5 September 2026 — dogs must be kept on a leash no longer than 1.5 metres in urban areas and any place open to the public, except inside municipal dog areas (sgambatoi). A muzzle also has to be carried at all times — not necessarily worn, but immediately available to put on if a dog poses a risk, if an authority asks, or when boarding public transport. Retractable leads are fine as long as they're locked at 1.5 metres or less in town centres; it's worth leaving them extended only in open countryside.

Does Italy have dog breed bans?

A detail that surprises a lot of visitors: Italy has no breed-based restrictions at all. The old 'blacklist' of supposedly dangerous breeds — the kind of list still used in countries like Spain — was formally abolished in 2009 under the Ordinanza Martini. No breed is banned in Italy, not Pit Bull, not Rottweiler, not Dogo Argentino. Instead, Italy takes an individual, behaviour-based approach: under Article 2052 of the Codice Civile, an owner is civilly and financially liable for any harm their dog causes, whatever the breed. If a specific dog is involved in a bite or is flagged by the local health authority (ASL) as posing a behavioural risk, that individual animal — not its breed — can be added to a local at-risk registry, which then requires the owner to carry liability insurance and use a muzzle and leash at all times.

Do some Italian cities ban certain breeds?

Widely circulated claims that specific Italian cities ban certain breeds aren't supported by any national or municipal ordinance found in research for this page — treat any breed-ban claim about a specific city as unverified until confirmed against that city's own regulations.