The 2026 Policy Wrap-Up: What Comes Next for Animal Welfare

More than 500 animal welfare bills were introduced across the country this year. Here’s what made it across the finish line

At the beginning of 2026, we asked members of The Association which policy issues mattered most to them. Pet-friendly housing, Trap Neuter Return, animal cruelty and breed restrictions rose to the top. By May, more than 500 animal welfare bills had been introduced across the country, and we were starting to see which ideas were gaining momentum and which were struggling to move. Now that most state legislatures have adjourned for the year, we’re following up to share what made it across the finish line.

Of the 92 priority bills we tracked most closely, 25 were signed into law and another five passed their legislatures and are awaiting final action. Nearly one in three of these priority bills reached passage. Another 31 were defeated or vetoed, while the remainder were still pending or did not receive final action before September.

Housing Front and Center

Pet-friendly housing continued to garner attention throughout 2026, and Colorado HB1045 may also give us a preview of a larger conversation coming next year. The bill was signed into law after changes at the federal level created new uncertainty around protections for assistance animals, including emotional support animals. Colorado responded by putting many of those protections directly into state law. HB1045 now defines emotional support animals and assistance animals, and provides clearer standards for how housing providers handle reasonable accommodation requests.

It’s worth watching beyond Colorado. As the federal landscape around assistance animals continues to shift, other states may decide they want to follow Colorado’s lead by putting clearer protections into their own laws. If that happens, emotional support animals and assistance animal housing protections could become a much bigger state legislative issue in 2027.

Arizona SB1582 tackled housing from a different angle. The bill would have prohibited homeowners’ associations from restricting household pets based on breed, size or weight while still allowing reasonable rules around behavior and the number of pets in a home. It did not make it through the legislative process.

Housing barriers continue to affect whether families can keep their pets, and I expect we will see more attempts to address them next year.

Animal Cruelty Is Getting More Complicated

We also saw lawmakers approach animal cruelty differently this year. Florida enacted legislation that goes well beyond simply increasing criminal penalties. H0559 addresses cruelty involving minors, requires psychological evaluation and treatment in certain cases, and expands the information available to the public about people convicted of specified animal cruelty offenses. Another measure, S1004, paired cruelty-related provisions with stronger consumer protections for people purchasing dogs and cats.

What interests me heading into 2027 is how much broader this conversation has become. Animal cruelty bills are increasingly touching on behavioral intervention and public safety, rather than focusing only on the length of a sentence or size of a fine.

Shelter leaders can bring an important perspective to these discussions. Many of you work alongside animal control, law enforcement and community partners and see firsthand what happens before, during and after a cruelty case. That experience should be part of the conversation when lawmakers consider what effective intervention looks like.

Other Notable Bills That Made It Through

Delaware HB131was signed into law and restricts retail pet store sales of dogs and cats, while still allowing stores to work with shelters and rescue organizations to showcase animals for adoption.

Michigan found a creative way to bring new dollars and visibility to animal welfare through SB106, which created a specialty license plate with proceeds benefiting the Michigan Pet Alliance.

Louisiana HB834 gets even closer to the day-to-day work of shelters. The new law addresses how lost and stray animals move through the shelter system and establishes minimum requirements around owner identification and holding periods.

See You in Chattanooga

If you’re attending The Association’s Annual Conference in October, I will be in the exhibit hall at the Animal Policy Group Advocacy Help Desk. This is an opportunity to talk through what happened in your state in 2026 and what may be on the horizon for 2027. Whether you were involved in a bill this year, saw an issue emerge that needs a policy solution or simply want to better understand the legislative landscape in your state, we can use that time to talk through strategy and possible next steps.

If there is one thing I hope shelter leaders take away from this year, it is that January is too late to start thinking about policy goals in your state. The groundwork for 2027 is already happening. This is when relationships are built and ideas begin taking shape, long before a bill number exists.

Fall is a great time to invite a legislator to visit your shelter without having an immediate ask attached. Show them what your team does and talk to them about what you are seeing in their district. Help them understand where families are struggling and what would make a difference. Then, when an animal issue eventually lands on their desk, they will already know who to call.

There is plenty to celebrate from 2026 and a lot we can learn from the ideas that did not make it. Now is the time to put those lessons to work.