D.C.'s Roscoe's Law Ends Breed and Size Limits for Dogs in Pet-Friendly Rentals

A white dog on a leash sitting beside a person near a fountain

If you’ve ever gone apartment hunting with a dog, you probably know the feeling. You find a place that says “pet friendly,” you get your hopes up, and then you read the fine print. No dogs over 25 pounds. No “aggressive breeds.” A list of names that somehow includes the sweet, goofy dog snoring on your couch.

It can feel personal, because it is. That dog is family.

As of Oct. 1, 2026, renters in Washington, D.C., have a little more protection from that kind of fine print. A city law nicknamed “Roscoe’s Law” now bars landlords who allow pets from setting restrictions based on a dog’s breed, size, or weight, and it caps what they can charge for pets. It took a long, bumpy road to get here, and the story behind it is worth knowing even if you live nowhere near D.C.

So what is Roscoe’s Law, exactly?

Its official name is the Pets in Housing Amendment Act of 2024. The D.C. Council passed it unanimously in December 2024, and it was championed by Councilmember Robert White.

The nickname comes from White’s own dog. In a 2025 release from the animal welfare group Humane World for Animals, White said, “Our pets, like my family’s sweet pit bull mix Roscoe, who we had for 14 years, are our family.”

The law was shaped by the People + Paws Coalition, a group of local and national animal welfare organizations. Kelly Whittier, a coalition organizer and director of public affairs at the Humane Rescue Alliance, said in the same release that “Roscoe’s Law was designed to remove some of the most common housing barriers faced by District pet owners.”

What changes for renters with dogs

Here’s what the law’s text says, in plain terms.

For leases that begin after Oct. 1, 2026, a landlord can’t place restrictions on tenancy, or charge different fees or rent, based on a pet’s breed, size, or weight. So a building that allows dogs can’t quietly turn away a 70-pound shepherd mix while welcoming a Maltese.

The law also caps what a landlord can charge for pets:

A refundable pet deposit of no more than 15 percent of the monthly rent, which can only be used for damage the pet causes beyond ordinary wear and tear.
Monthly pet rent of no more than 1 percent of the first full month’s rent for each dog. All other common household pets combined are capped at another 1 percent.
No other extra deposits, fees, or rent for pets beyond those limits.

To put that in real numbers: on an apartment that rents for $2,000 a month, the pet deposit tops out at $300, and pet rent for one dog tops out at $20 a month.

Service and assistance animals are treated separately. The law says landlords can’t charge a pet deposit or pet rent for them at all.

💡 Good to know: Landlords still get a say. The law lets them set “reasonable pet policies to ensure the safety and maintenance of the property,” including a limit on how many pets live in a unit. According to the law firm Offit Kurman, landlords can also act when a specific animal shows documented aggression or causes damage. In short, a dog can be held to account for what they do. They just can’t be ruled out for what they look like.

A low-rise apartment building with balconies and a front lawn

Why the wait took so long

If you followed this law when it passed, you might be confused. Weren’t the fee caps supposed to start in 2025?

They were. The original plan was for the fee limits to apply to leases starting after Oct. 1, 2025, with the breed, size, and weight protections following a year later. But the law had a catch. It could only take effect once its cost was included in an approved city budget.

According to the D.C. law firm Greenstein DeLorme & Luchs, the law wasn’t included in the city’s 2026 budget legislation, so it couldn’t be enforced as planned. That changed this summer. On July 7, 2026, the D.C. Council passed its 2027 budget support legislation in a 13-0 vote, and an emergency version of that act cleared the way for the landlord rules to apply starting Oct. 1, 2026.

There’s one piece still waiting. The law also calls for at least one low-barrier homeless shelter in D.C. with space for people who have pets. Both law firms say that part remains tied to funding.

Why breed and size limits matter so much

It’s easy to think of breed rules as a small inconvenience. For a lot of families, they decide whether a dog gets to stay.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund, citing Smart Apartment Data via the Michelson Found Animals Foundation, reported that about 80 percent of D.C. rental units were considered “pet friendly.” Yet only about 6 percent had no breed or weight restriction. In other words, a “yes” to pets very often meant “yes, but not your dog.”

The same reporting noted that pet definitions in so-called pet-friendly housing exclude 67 percent of family dogs. Weight caps are a big part of that, since many policies stop at 25 pounds, and some at 20.

And the cost shows up in shelters. The Humane Rescue Alliance has reported that “1,902 animals have been relinquished to HRA because of landlord restrictions and/or housing issues” over five years, as quoted by the Animal Legal Defense Fund. The ALDF also describes housing as “the number one reason large dogs are surrendered.”

💡 Did you know? A dog’s breed doesn’t tell you much about how that particular dog will behave. The ASPCA has said that “the breed and size of a dog does not correlate to a pet’s behavior or desirability as a resident,” as quoted by Sidewalk Dog. The Animal Legal Defense Fund also points to a 2022 study finding that breed is generally a poor predictor of individual behavior.

The bigger picture for renters

D.C. isn’t the only place where people are struggling with this. The 2025 Humane World release cited a Michelson Found Animals report finding that 72 percent of renters say pet-friendly housing is hard to find, and 59 percent say those units are too expensive.

Other states have taken smaller steps. The ALDF notes that Florida’s 2023 law banned breed and size restrictions only in public housing, and Colorado’s 2023 law capped fees without touching breed or size. Sidewalk Dog reports that a 2024 California bill, AB 2216, cleared the state Assembly but stalled in the Senate.

That’s part of why animal welfare groups are watching D.C. so closely. Its rules reach private rentals across the city, not just public housing.

The same worries, in Korean headlines

On Sept. 1, 2026, the Korean-language U.S. edition of Herald Business (헤럴드경제 미주판) ran a story on how much pet policies shape renters’ choices in America. Citing Zillow data, it reported that 77.3 percent of U.S. rental listings allow pets, and that 65 percent of renters now say a pet-friendly policy is essential when choosing a home, up from 60 percent in 2024.

The article also pointed out the extra costs. According to Zillow’s 2025 Consumer Housing Trends Report, as cited in the story, 49 percent of renters with pets had paid pet fees or extra rent. Of those, 45 percent paid between $40 and $59, and 12 percent paid $100 or more.

In Korea, the trouble can show up when the lease ends. In a December 2025 legal column for Hankook Ilbo (한국일보), attorney Park Eun-ji (박은지) wrote about a tenant whose landlord demanded 2.9 million won at move-out for flooring, wallpaper, and odor removal because a dog had lived in the home. In the end, 2.5 million won was taken out of his deposit. Her advice was practical and kind: tell your landlord about your pet, propose specific terms, and take dated photos and video of the home’s condition on move-in day.

A man walking a light-colored dog along a wooded path

What the law doesn’t do

It’s a real step forward, but it has limits, and it’s fair to name them.

The law applies to rentals that already allow pets. The Animal Legal Defense Fund points out that it doesn’t ban blanket “no pets” policies, which means a landlord could choose to stop allowing pets altogether. Offit Kurman also notes that landlords can still run pet-free buildings or require written approval before a pet moves in.

Some details are still unsettled, too. According to Offit Kurman, the law doesn’t define “monthly rent” or “first full month’s rent,” and it doesn’t give transition rules for deposits that were above the cap under older leases. And the breed, size, and weight protection in the law’s text covers leases that begin after Oct. 1, 2026, so people already locked into older leases may want to check their terms.

If you’re a D.C. renter with questions about your own lease, a tenant rights organization or a local attorney is the best place to start.

What this means for dogs like Roscoe

For the people who’ll feel it most, this isn’t an abstract policy change. It’s the difference between keeping a 60-pound dog and handing them over to a shelter because of a number on a form.

It also sends a clear message about how we judge dogs. The shape of a dog’s head or the number on the scale was never the whole story. How they actually live with their people is.

Angel Jake Note 🐾

I think about the families who’ve had to choose between a home and their dog, and it breaks my heart a little. Most of them aren’t irresponsible. They just ran into a rule that saw a breed or a weight instead of the dog in front of it.

Roscoe’s Law won’t fix everything, and it only covers one city. But it’s a hopeful sign that lawmakers are starting to see pets the way most of us already do, as family. If you’re renting with a dog anywhere, keep a copy of your pet policy, take photos when you move in, and talk openly with your landlord. And if a “pet friendly” listing turns out not to include your dog, please know it’s not about who your dog really is.

A Note on This Story

This post summarizes the reports and official sources linked in the Sources section. Details can change as a story develops, so please check those sources for the latest updates.

D.C.’s Roscoe’s Law Ends Breed and Size Limits for Dogs in Pet-Friendly Rentals