# Rhode Island S2472: AN ACT RELATING TO ANIMALS AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY -- DOGS . Rhode Island S2472, AN ACT RELATING TO ANIMALS AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY -- DOGS ., is a 2026 Regular Session Senate bill sponsored by Pamela J. Lauria (Democratic); status became law, last action 2026-04-22 (Effective without Governor's signature — Chapter 016); PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-11-01). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-S2472-2026 - As of: 2026-11-01 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: Rhode Island S2472 - State: Rhode Island - Session: 2026 Regular Session - Title: AN ACT RELATING TO ANIMALS AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY -- DOGS . - Status: became law - Chamber: Senate - Introduced: 2026-02-06 - Last action: 2026-04-22, Effective without Governor's signature — Chapter 016 - Sponsor: Pamela J. Lauria (Democratic) - Cosponsors: 0 - Touches household money: yes - Roll calls: 2 (103 yes, 2 no in all) - Economic provisions PRIA read: 6 ## Summary No summary available. ## Bill overview: provisions PRIA read - Exeter can require $100,000 dog insurance: cost, medium. Exeter sets fines within a one‑year period: up to $25 for a first offense, $100 for a second, and $200 for a third or later. Exeter can also require owners to show $100,000 in liability insurance for 12 months and name the town for notice. These rules apply when the town council adopts the ordinanc… - Pawtucket pit bull fines and possible jail: cost, medium. Pawtucket sets steep penalties tied to its pit bull ban. If the dog is licensed, fines can be $250 for a first offense, $500 for a second, and $1,000 for a third. If unlicensed, fines can be up to $500 for a first offense and up to $1,000 for later offenses. The municipal court may also add up to 3… - Higher fines on Middletown beaches: cost, low. Middletown uses higher fines for dog violations on beaches. On beaches: up to $100 for a first offense in a year, $150 for a second, and $200 for a third or later. Elsewhere in town: up to $50, $100, and $150 across the same tiers. The town can also allow you to pay tickets by mail. - Impound fees before getting your dog: cost, low. Several towns can charge impound fees that you must pay before your dog is released. Burrillville sets up to $10 for the first day plus $5 for each extra day. Towns like Cumberland, Narragansett, Westerly, West Greenwich, and Woonsocket can also set impound fees by ordinance and require payment bef… - Limits on dogs at single-family homes: cost, low. Bristol can limit how many licensed dogs, and which breeds, you can keep at a single‑family home. Licensed breeding kennels are not covered by this limit. Breaking the rule can bring a fine up to $250. Portsmouth can set the number of licensed dogs at a single‑family home (not breeding kennels) and… - Town dog fines and mail-in tickets: cost, low. Cities and towns can now set local dog fines and let officers send tickets you can pay by mail. If your town does not set its own schedule, the statewide default fines are up to $10 for a first offense, $15 for a second, and $25 for a third or later in the same calendar year. Many towns adopt highe… ## Sponsors and cosponsors - Sponsor: Pamela J. Lauria (Democratic), Senate ## Roll call votes | Date | Chamber | Motion | Result | Yes | No | Other | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2026-04-14 | House | ANIMAL HUSBANDRY -- DOGS PASSAGE IN CONCURRENCE | pass | 67 | 2 | | | 2026-03-10 | Senate | RELATING TO ANIMALS AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY -- DOGS Passage | pass | 36 | 0 | | ## Actions (12) - 2026-04-22: Effective without Governor's signature — Chapter 016 (Governor) - 2026-04-14: Transmitted to Governor (Governor) - 2026-04-14: House passed in concurrence (House) - 2026-04-10: Placed on House Calendar (04/14/2026) (House) - 2026-03-24: Committee recommends passage in concurrence - 2026-03-20: Scheduled for consideration (03/24/2026) - 2026-03-11: Referred to House Municipal Government & Housing (House) - 2026-03-10: Senate read and passed (Senate) - 2026-03-06: Placed on Senate Calendar (03/10/2026) (Senate) - 2026-03-05: Committee recommends passage - 2026-02-27: Scheduled for hearing and/or consideration (03/05/2026) - 2026-02-06: Introduced, referred to Senate Housing and Municipal Government (Senate) ## Bill text - S2472 - As Introduced, 2026-02-06: [HTML](https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/SenateText26/S2472.htm), [PDF](https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/SenateText26/S2472.pdf) ## Related bills - S3047: AN ACT RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- PROCEDURE GENERALLY -- DISTRICT COURT PRACTICE . (became law) - H8605: JOINT RESOLUTION MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO PAY CERTAIN CLAIMS . (became law) - H8580: AN ACT RELATING TO THE NORTH TIVERTON FIRE DISTRICT . (became law) - H8586: AN ACT RELATING TO HIGHWAYS -- RHODE ISLAND TURNPIKE AND BRIDGE AUTHORITY . (became law) - H8525: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- LEVY AND ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL TAXES . (became law) - H8506: AN ACT RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES -- RELATING TO CENTRAL FALLS PENSION PLAN . (became law) ## Sources - [S2472 - As Introduced (HTML)](https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/SenateText26/S2472.htm) - [S2472 - As Introduced (PDF)](https://webserver.rilegislature.gov/BillText26/SenateText26/S2472.pdf) ## Related - [S3047: AN ACT RELATING TO COURTS AND CIVIL PROCEDURE -- PROCEDURE GENERALLY -- DISTRIC…](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-S3047-2026) - [H8605: JOINT RESOLUTION MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO PAY CERTAIN CLAIMS .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-H8605-2026) - [H8580: AN ACT RELATING TO THE NORTH TIVERTON FIRE DISTRICT .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-H8580-2026) - [H8586: AN ACT RELATING TO HIGHWAYS -- RHODE ISLAND TURNPIKE AND BRIDGE AUTHORITY .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-H8586-2026) - [H8525: AN ACT RELATING TO TAXATION -- LEVY AND ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL TAXES .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-H8525-2026) - [H8506: AN ACT RELATING TO TOWNS AND CITIES -- RELATING TO CENTRAL FALLS PENSION PLAN .](https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-H8506-2026) - [Rhode Island bills](https://policyrisk.com/states/rhode-island/bills) - [Rhode Island state hub](https://policyrisk.com/states/rhode-island) - [All state legislation](https://policyrisk.com/state-bills) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/state-bill/RI-S2472-2026 (as of 2026-11-01).