Alabama SB361 Dog Tethering and Confinement Requirements
Summary
Alabama SB361 was signed into law, establishing new requirements for tethering and confining dogs, with exemptions for certain activities and persons. The law creates criminal penalties for violations and grants animal control officers enforcement authority. Dog owners and animal welfare organizations in Alabama must comply with the new standards.
What changed
Alabama SB361 enacts comprehensive requirements for the tethering and confinement of dogs, establishing specific standards for how dogs may be restrained outdoors, exemptions for certain persons and activities such as veterinary care, training, and hunting, and criminal penalties for violations of the tethering and confinement requirements.
Dog owners in Alabama must ensure their tethering and confinement practices comply with the new legal standards to avoid potential criminal prosecution. Animal control officers are granted authority to enforce violations of the law. Shelters, rescues, and veterinary practices serving dog owners should communicate these new requirements to their communities.
What to do next
- Dog owners in Alabama must ensure compliance with new tethering and confinement standards
- Animal shelters and veterinary practices should inform clients about the new animal welfare requirements
- Animal control officers should familiarize themselves with enforcement authority under SB361
Penalties
Criminal penalties for violations established under the law
Archived snapshot
Apr 9, 2026GovPing captured this document from the original source. If the source has since changed or been removed, this is the text as it existed at that time.
ChangeBridge / Alabama / SB361 Signed by Governor SB361 Senate Bill Signed by Governor 2026-03-10
Dogs; tethering and confinement requirements provided; persons and activities exempted; criminal penalties for, animal control officer enforcement of, violations established
Bill Details
State Alabama
Session 2026 Regular Session
Chamber Senate
Official Source alison.legislature.state.al.us/bill-search
LegiScan View on LegiScan
Sponsors
Garlan Gudger (Sen - R)
Action History
2026-04-08 H Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Adopted Roll Call 1280 2026-04-08 H Motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 1279 QNUHL51-1 2026-04-08 H Faulkner 1st Amendment Offered QNUHL51-1 2026-04-08 H Ellis motion to Table - Adopted Roll Call 1278 W1U3J55-1 2026-04-08 H Ensler motion to Table - Lost Roll Call 1277 2026-04-08 H Fidler 1st Amendment Offered W1U3J55-1 2026-04-08 H Ensler motion to Table - Adopted Roll Call 1276 ARF2VSS-1 2026-04-08 H Smith 1st Amendment Offered ARF2VSS-1 2026-04-08 H Motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 1275 G3TYAC2-1 2026-04-08 H Colvin 1st Amendment Offered G3TYAC2-1 2026-04-08 H Ensler motion to Table - Lost Roll Call 1274 2026-04-08 H Rehm 1st Amendment Offered W1U33E5-1 2026-04-08 H Motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 1273 EJ6PPC2-1 2026-04-08 H Lovvorn 2nd Amendment Offered EJ6PPC2-1 2026-04-08 H Motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 1272 W1U3P99-1 2026-04-08 H Rigsby 2nd Amendment Offered W1U3P99-1 2026-04-08 H Ensler motion to Table - Adopted Roll Call 1271 CXNPGQJ-1 2026-04-08 H Hammett 1st Amendment Offered CXNPGQJ-1 2026-04-08 H Rigsby 1st Amendment Offered CXNPBQJ-1 2026-04-08 H Motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 1270 BY7H2J4-1 2026-04-08 H Ensler motion to Table - Lost Roll Call 1269 2026-04-08 H Brinyark 1st Amendment Offered BY7H2J4-1 2026-04-08 H Motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 1268 MSBT21W-1 2026-04-08 H Lovvorn 1st Amendment Offered MSBT21W-1 2026-04-08 H Motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 1267 U9NVSDD-1 2026-04-08 H Agriculture and Forestry Engrossed Substitute Offered U9NVSDD-1 2026-04-08 H Third Reading in Second House 2026-03-19 H Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar 2026-03-18 H Reported Out of Committee Second House from House Agriculture and Forestry U9NVSDD-1 2026-03-12 H Pending House Agriculture and Forestry 2026-03-12 H Read for the first time and referred to the House Committee on Agriculture and Forestry 2026-03-12 S Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Adopted Roll Call 857 2026-03-12 S Third Reading in House of Origin 2026-03-11 S Read for the Second Time and placed on the Calendar 2026-03-11 S Reported Out of Committee House of Origin 2026-03-10 S Pending Senate State Governmental Affairs 2026-03-10 S Read for the first time and referred to the Senate Committee on State Governmental Affairs
Votes
2026-03-12 SBIR: Passed by House of Origin Yea: 30 Nay: 0 2026-03-12 Third Reading in House of Origin Yea: 30 Nay: 0 2026-03-12 Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass - Roll Call 857 Yea: 28 Nay: 1 2026-04-08 HBIR: Passed by Second House Yea: 75 Nay: 19 2026-04-08 Third Reading in Second House Yea: 75 Nay: 19 2026-04-08 Motion to Adopt - Roll Call 1267 U9NVSDD-1 Yea: 81 Nay: 8 2026-04-08 Motion to Adopt - Roll Call 1268 MSBT21W-1 Yea: 98 Nay: 1 2026-04-08 Ensler motion to Table - Roll Call 1269 Yea: 5 Nay: 93 2026-04-08 Motion to Adopt - Roll Call 1270 BY7H2J4-1 Yea: 101 Nay: 1 2026-04-08 Ensler motion to Table - Roll Call 1271 CXNPGQJ-1 Yea: 56 Nay: 42 2026-04-08 Motion to Adopt - Roll Call 1272 W1U3P99-1 Yea: 101 Nay: 1 2026-04-08 Motion to Adopt - Roll Call 1273 EJ6PPC2-1 Yea: 103 Nay: 0 2026-04-08 Ensler motion to Table - Roll Call 1274 Yea: 48 Nay: 50 2026-04-08 Motion to Adopt - Roll Call 1275 G3TYAC2-1 Yea: 100 Nay: 0 2026-04-08 Ensler motion to Table - Roll Call 1276 ARF2VSS-1 Yea: 49 Nay: 36 2026-04-08 Ensler motion to Table - Roll Call 1277 Yea: 46 Nay: 53 2026-04-08 Ellis motion to Table - Roll Call 1278 W1U3J55-1 Yea: 50 Nay: 43 2026-04-08 Motion to Adopt - Roll Call 1279 QNUHL51-1 Yea: 92 Nay: 3 2026-04-08 Motion to Read a Third Time and Pass as Amended - Roll Call 1280 Yea: 69 Nay: 23
Committee Referrals
2026-03-10 S State Governmental Affairs 2026-03-12 H Agriculture and Forestry
Amendments
2026-03-18 House Agriculture and Forestry Reported Out of Committee Second House 2026-04-08 House Motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 1279 2026-04-08 House Ellis motion to Table - Adopted Roll Call 1278 2026-04-08 House Ensler motion to Table - Adopted Roll Call 1276 2026-04-08 House Motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 1275 2026-04-08 House Rehm 1st Amendment Offered 2026-04-08 House Motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 1273 2026-04-08 House Motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 1272 2026-04-08 House Ensler motion to Table - Adopted Roll Call 1271 2026-04-08 House Rigsby 1st Amendment Offered 2026-04-08 House Motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 1270 2026-04-08 House Motion to Adopt - Adopted Roll Call 1268
Bill Text Versions
2026-03-10 Introduced
Subjects
Animals Legislative data powered by LegiScan (CC BY 4.0)
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