Nevada: Put a Stop to Breed-Specific Insurance Discrimination

NV S.B. 103—Prohibits Breed Discrimination by Insurers
ASPCA Position: Support
Sponsor: Senator Melanie Scheible

Update—June 3, 2021: Great news, Nevada! Governor Sisolak has signed Nevada Senate Bill 103 into law—this groundbreaking legislation will remove housing barriers for Nevadans with pets by prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage based on the breed of a family’s dog. We thank our advocates in Nevada for helping to score this win!

At a time of unprecedented housing challenges, the cost and availability of property insurance is an unnecessary barrier to housing for responsible Nevada dog owners.

This is because it is legal for property-insurance providers in Nevada to significantly increase costs or even deny property insurance coverage altogether for customers with specific breeds of dogs in their homes. But there is no sound evidence to support this policy. Insurance claim data does not validate the idea that certain breeds of dogs are a bigger risk as compared to non-restricted breeds.

What’s more, this practice by insurance companies runs counter to Nevada state law, which prohibits dogs from being regulated by their breed.