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Which Cleveland-Area Suburbs Still Restrict Pit Bulls, and Does That Affect an ESA?
Parma and Warrensville Heights still ban pit bulls, and neither ban changes your ESA housing rights. This guide covers Cleveland, Highland Heights and Cuyahoga Falls, plus nearby suburbs. Ohio dropped "pit bull" from state law in 2012. Home-rule cities such as Parma kept their ordinances, so the rule changes at the city line. With an ESA letter in Ohio, a breed ordinance decides where your dog may live. Ohio ESA laws and the federal Fair Housing Act decide what a landlord can do. Breed is not on their list.
Which Cleveland-area suburbs still restrict pit bulls, and which repealed?
Parma and Warrensville Heights still ban pit bulls; Bedford Heights and Broadview Heights register them as "vicious" by breed; Cleveland, Lakewood, Garfield Heights, Middleburg Heights and Highland Heights have no breed rule. The rule follows the city on your lease, not the county.
Suburbs with a ban or a breed-registration rule
Parma's ban, section 618.09, has stood since 1987; voters kept it in May 2019 by 14 votes. Warrensville Heights bans the breed under section 505.20. Bedford Heights (505.21) and Broadview Heights (618.19) label a pit bull-type dog "vicious" by breed, with registration and keeping duties. Cleveland Heights and University Heights now go by conduct; older lists are out of date.
What a breed ordinance does and does not do
It is an animal-control rule aimed at the owner; in Parma it can order the dog out of the city. It says nothing about leases, and a landlord cannot borrow a neighboring suburb's ban. Cities with no breed rule use the state's conduct-based labels, reset by Avery's Law (HB 247) on March 20, 2026. An ESA letter alone does not lift a ban either. A resident may ask the city itself for a Fair Housing Act accommodation. That is a separate request with no guaranteed result.
Can a landlord in Cleveland, Highland Heights or Cuyahoga Falls use the breed against your ESA?
No. A breed clause in a Cleveland, Highland Heights or Cuyahoga Falls lease stops applying once your ESA is accommodated. An ESA letter from RealESALetter.com, valid under Ohio ESA laws and the Fair Housing Act, documents your need for it. The landlord may still look at that one dog's record.
Where the city ordinance ends and the lease begins
Your lease can still list banned breeds for pets. Under the Fair Housing Act and Ohio Revised Code 4112.02(H), a reasonable accommodation sets that pet rule aside. HUD rescinded its 2020 assistance-animal guidance on May 22, 2026 and now pursues only trained-animal complaints. For an ESA, the Ohio Civil Rights Commission and the courts are the working routes.
What a landlord in these three cities can and cannot do
A landlord in Cleveland, Highland Heights or Cuyahoga Falls can:
- Ask for your ESA letter before granting the accommodation
- Review that dog's bite record if there is evidence of a direct threat
- Charge for damage the dog actually causes
A landlord in Cleveland, Highland Heights or Cuyahoga Falls cannot:
- Refuse the dog because it looks like a pit bull
- Charge pet rent, a deposit or a breed fee for an accommodated ESA
- Make breed liability insurance a lease condition
- Demand a "pit bull" registration the city does not require
Every RealESALetter.com letter lists the clinician's Ohio license number and type, which a landlord may confirm on Ohio's eLicense lookup. A landlord may check the license, not your diagnosis or records.
Cleveland: what changed when the city dropped its breed rule in 2011?
Cleveland has had no breed-specific ordinance since June 2011, so a pit bull there is judged only on its record. The city uses the state's nuisance, dangerous and vicious tiers; you license the dog through Cuyahoga County and follow city leash rules. Cleveland borders Parma, so a move of a few blocks can matter more than a change of landlord. A landlord who asks for an ESA letter in Cleveland is asking about your need, not the breed.
Highland Heights: no breed rule, but a cap on how many dogs?
Highland Heights removed its breed language in 2019, but section 505.32 limits a home to three dogs. That cap is a city rule, not a lease rule.
The 2019 vicious-dog amendment
Ordinance 17-2019 amended the city's vicious-dog section. Chapter 505 now defines vicious, dangerous and nuisance dogs by conduct, with duties only for dogs that earn a label.
The three-dog limit and your ESA
Section 505.32 allows no more than three dogs in a dwelling, not counting puppies under six months. A landlord's pet cap is different: an accommodated ESA does not count against it. A fourth dog means asking the city, not the landlord. Before you weigh an ESA letter in Highland Heights, count your dogs against the city number.
Cuyahoga Falls: the Akron-side rules
Cuyahoga Falls sits in Summit County and has carried no breed language since Ordinance 36-2019. It also adds a third tier, the "aggressive dog," that the state does not use.
Summit County licensing and the city code
Dogs here are licensed through the Summit County Fiscal Office. Section 505.20 borrows its dangerous and vicious definitions from state law. It still cites the pre-2026 section number, so it may lag Avery's Law until amended. The city's own addition is the "aggressive dog": one that attacked another dog or domestic animal without provocation.
What a labeled dog owes the city
A dog labeled dangerous, aggressive or vicious is registered with Cuyahoga Falls police each year, January 2 to January 31. Registration takes an annual fee, a microchip number, a photo and a $10 city warning sign. Vicious dogs need $100,000 in liability insurance. None of this attaches to a breed. An ESA letter in Cuyahoga Falls covers the lease; the city covers the dog's record.
Where do you get help across Northeast Ohio if a landlord refuses?
File with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission within one year; Cleveland renters also have the city's Fair Housing Board, and Highland Heights renters the Cuyahoga County Human Rights Commission.
Who to call first, by city
HUD still takes Fair Housing Act complaints within one year, but since May 22, 2026 it finds cause only for trained animals, so an ESA complaint belongs with the state.
Who to call (by address) | What they do | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
Cleveland: Ohio Civil Rights Commission, Cleveland Regional Office, 615 W. Superior Ave., Suite 885, (216) 787-3150; or City of Cleveland Fair Housing Board, Office of Fair Housing & Consumer Affairs | State charge; city board for addresses inside Cleveland | 1 year (state); city deadline to confirm |
Highland Heights: Ohio Civil Rights Commission, Cleveland Regional Office, (216) 787-3150; or Cuyahoga County Human Rights Commission, 2079 East Ninth Street, Cleveland | State charge; county commission takes notarized complaints | 1 year (state); 330 days (county) |
Cuyahoga Falls: Ohio Civil Rights Commission, Akron Regional Office, 161 S. High St., Suite 205, (330) 643-3100 | State charge for Summit County | 1 year |
If the notice becomes a court case
A no-pets eviction over an ESA is a defense, not the end. The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland takes Cuyahoga County tenant cases; Community Legal Aid covers Summit County. Answer by the summons date and bring the letter and the written refusal.
Conclusion
Parma and Warrensville Heights still ban pit bulls; Cleveland, Highland Heights and Cuyahoga Falls do not. Those ordinances govern where the dog may live, not your lease. Once your ESA is accommodated, a landlord in any of the three cities cannot refuse it by breed. If one does, file with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission within a year. Before you sign, check whether you qualify for an ESA and read the suburb's current animal code.
FAQs for ESA owners in Cleveland, Highland Heights and Cuyahoga Falls
Does HUD's 2026 change let a Cleveland landlord refuse my ESA by breed?
No. HUD rescinded its 2020 guidance and narrowed its own enforcement. The Fair Housing Act and Ohio Revised Code 4112 still require a reasonable accommodation. A Cleveland renter now files with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission rather than HUD.
Can I ask Highland Heights for an exception to the three-dog limit?
You can ask, but the city decides. Section 505.32 is municipal law, so your landlord cannot waive it. Its only stated exception is puppies under six months. A Fair Housing Act request to the city has no guaranteed outcome.
Is a Cuyahoga Falls dangerous-dog registration fee the same as a landlord's pet fee?
No. The city fee under section 505.24 applies to any dog labeled dangerous, aggressive or vicious, whoever owns it. A landlord's pet rent or deposit is a lease charge an accommodated ESA in Cuyahoga Falls does not pay.
Can a Cleveland landlord ask for proof my pit bull is not dangerous?
Only with evidence about that dog. A housing provider may refuse an assistance animal that poses a direct threat, judged on that animal's own conduct. A blanket "no pit bulls" test is not evidence; a bite record or a city dangerous-dog label is.
Dr. Avery Langston is a health and wellness writer with 12+ years of experience covering ESA rights, housing laws, and mental health. As a senior contributor for RealESALetter, she helps readers understand ESA regulations and legal protections.
Tina Logan is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with 20+ years of clinical experience and an active California Board of Behavioral Sciences license. She conducts ESA and psychiatric service dog evaluations for RealESALetter assessing whether an ESA or task-trained PSD is clinically appropriate.
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