Protecting Animals through Local Legislation

The Animal Legal Defense Fund encourages advocates to lobby for stronger animal protection laws in their local communities and can provide guidance to advocates interested in changing laws at the city and county level.

Local legislation is a powerful tool to help animals. Most obviously, effective animal protection laws help the animals who live in your community. They can also prime the pump for passing laws at higher levels of government. For example, hundreds of cities and counties enacted retail pet sale bans before California enacted the first statewide retail pet sale ban in 2017. Change at the local level matters.

If you’re interested in working on an ordinance in your community and would like to speak with someone at the Animal Legal Defense Fund, fill out this form.

Please note that due to the volume of inquiries, we may not to respond to all requests. Do not use this form to report animal cruelty. The Animal Legal Defense Fund does not have law enforcement capacity. If you witness the abuse or neglect of an animal, please immediately file a formal written complaint with local law enforcement (police or animal control agency).