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Lubbock council amends and passes dangerous-dog ordinance after residents warn insurance hike would be burdensome
Summary
After two residents described difficulty finding higher liability coverage, the council added a muzzle requirement and voted 4-3 on Dec. 2 to pass a second-reading amendment keeping a $1 million insurance requirement for dangerous dogs while staff said market quotes more typically ranged $1,500—3,500 per year.
The Lubbock City Council passed an amended ordinance on Dec. 2 changing the city's dangerous-dog rules, adding a muzzling requirement and retaining a $1,000,000 liability-insurance threshold that was part of the second-reading ordinance. The vote on the amended second reading carried 4-3.
The ordinance had attracted public comment from two residents, Laura and Madeline Hopper, who said finding and affording $1 million in standalone dangerous-dog liability insurance is difficult. Laura Hopper said she was verbally quoted about $2,000 per month for a $1 million policy and urged council to consider grandfathering or public education instead of raising limits. Madeline Hopper said only nine households in Lubbock currently hold dangerous-dog permits and argued a higher requirement could make compliance impossible for many families.
City risk-management staff responded that the city had contacted policy writers and insurance companies and that industry options exist for standalone $1 million liability policies. Staff reported typical annual premiums ranging from $1,500 to $3,500 depending on factors such as severity of past incidents, breed restrictions and location; staff said one nonstandard quote approached $20,000 per year. Staff also said some insurers exclude specific breeds, and officials said dangerous-dog designations are based on incidents, not breed alone.
Council discussed options including tabling the ordinance for more study, providing a non-endorsing list of insurance providers to help permit-holders shop for coverage, and offering grace periods for current permit-holders. Staff said current $250,000 permits would remain valid through the life of those permits and that publication and statutory notice requirements mean new enforcement would not begin immediately (staff estimated roughly 20 days for publication plus standard cure periods for newly designated dogs).
Dr. Wilson moved to approve item 7.9 on second reading with an added muzzle requirement; that amendment was included in the ordinance as adopted. Council also discussed public-education efforts by Lubbock Animal Services and the potential to provide informational resources without endorsing particular insurers.
The ordinance as amended will take effect after required publications and the statutory waiting period. Council also debated, but did not adopt, a formal grandfathering clause; staff indicated administrative limitations to broad grandfathering and explained that compliance timing and permit-expiration mechanics provide some lead time for existing permit-holders.
Next steps identified by council included publication of the ordinance and staff follow-up on outreach and guidance to potentially affected permit-holders.
