It's Totally Legal to Break a Dog Out of a Hot Car in Some States

WHAT’S YOUR STATES LAW?

There are different animal protection laws for leaving dogs locked in a hot car across the country. What’s the law in your state?

map hot car laws — Overview of State Laws

There are 31 states that have some sort of “hot car” law protecting dogs locked in cars. Some of them even have laws that grant civic immunity to people who rescue a distressed animal from a vehicle. Here’s a breakdown of the laws and how many states enforce them:

“GOOD SAMARITAN” LAWS

The “Good Samaritan” Laws, followed by 15 states, grant civil immunity for civilians (under select circumstances) to rescue an animal from an unattended car; however, each state has specific requirements.

Check the list below for your state:

LAW ENFORCEMENT PROTECTION

There are 16 states that grant law enforcement and other public officials to break into an unattended vehicle to rescue an animal as long as certain conditions are met. Check the list below for your state:

IT’S A CRIME

The below two states have made it a crime to leave an animal unattended in a hot car if there is risk of serious injury/death; however, no one is protected if they rescue the dog.

You might be wondering what about the other 19 states missing from the above lists. Some of them do not have any laws and others have bills pending, such as Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan and Texas, which have bills pending for the “Good Samaritan” law.

It’s important to stay up to date on animal protection laws for leaving dogs locked in a hot car, especially during summertime. Heat stroke is not worth the risk.