Most Pet Friendly States: SafeWise 2022 and ALDF 2025 Rankings

SafeWise’s 2022 ranking of states for pets puts Indiana first, followed by Tennessee, North Carolina, Nevada, and Vermont. New Mexico is last of the 48 states it ranked. This page gives that ranking with the scores SafeWise published, then adds what each state’s own government pages say about its laws and parks. Whether you are moving or planning a furry vacation, the sections below show what each ranking measured.

How The Rankings Measure Pet Friendly States

SafeWise says it ranked states on “Percentage of pet-friendly apartments (30%) Pet population (20%) Pets-left-in-car laws (10%) Veterinary reporting requirement law (10%) Tether law (10%) Anti-cruelty and sexual assault laws (15%) Animal fighting paraphernalia law (5%).” It left out Alaska and Hawaii because not all of its data points were available. The tether law factor covers chaining dogs and other tethering, and SafeWise lists puppy mill laws by state as a separate topic outside its score: puppy mills.

The Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) publishes a different ranking every year. Its 2025 report ranks 56 jurisdictions on “77 study questions covering 20 distinct animal protection laws categories.” ALDF says Oregon maintains the top rank and North Dakota remains at the lowest rank. The two rankings measure different things and do not give the same order, so each state section below names which one it is quoting.

SafeWise 2022 Ranking: The Top Five States

According to the latest research, the five highest scoring states in SafeWise’s 2022 ranking are Indiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, Nevada, and Vermont. Here are the top ten with the scores SafeWise gives.

Rank	State	SafeWise score
1	Indiana	80.23
2	Tennessee	75.99
3	North Carolina	75
4	Nevada	71.71
5	Vermont	71.69
6	Oregon	66.87
7	Pennsylvania	66.35
8	Missouri	63.91
9	Colorado	63.62
10	Washington	62.86

SafeWise adds a limit to its own list: “Our rankings don’t reflect the spirit of kind-hearted people in these states or the lengths they’re willing to go through for their furry friends, but they do indicate what sort of legal or housing problems you may face.”

Indiana

SafeWise ranks Indiana first with a score of 80.23. It says “Indiana ranks as the most pet-friendly state with a high pet population of 69.2%. Plus, nearly half (44.0%) of its apartments are pet-friendly.” It also says Indiana “has almost all of our must-have pet laws in place (aside from veterinary reporting requirements, which half of all the states lack too).”

State Park Rules For Dogs

Indiana’s Department of Natural Resources says, “The 6-foot leash rule applies to the entire property and to all pets.” The rule it cites, 312 IAC 8-2-6(a)(1), says a person who has a pet on a DNR property “must keep the animal caged or on a leash not more than six (6) feet long and must attend the animal at all times.”

ALDF’s 2025 report places Indiana in its Middle Tier.

Tennessee

SafeWise ranks Tennessee second with a score of 75.99. Tennessee is one of five states SafeWise lists with 44% or more of rentals open to pets, along with North Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, and Indiana. ALDF’s 2025 report places Tennessee in its Middle Tier and names Nevada and Tennessee as the most improved.

Parks

The Town of Thompson’s Station says its Nutro Dog Park has “four (4) acres of space and two (2) areas for large and small dogs.” Its listed features are a fenced small dog park, a fenced large dog park, and playing fields. Its rules include “Maximum of two (2) dogs per handler” and “Dogs must be leashed when not in fenced area.”

Metro Nashville Parks describes the 960-acre Shelby Bottoms Greenway in East Nashville this way: “The greenway offers over 5 miles of paved ADA accessible trail for hiking, biking, running, skating and wildlife watching and over 5 miles of primitive trails.” Its page says “Pets allowed; must be on 6 foot or shorter leash.”

Cat cafes in Japan are one example of pet-friendly cafes.

North Carolina

SafeWise ranks North Carolina third with a score of 75. It says “Ranking at number three overall, North Carolina has the highest percentage of pet-friendly apartments in the US (56.8%), followed by Georgia (53.5%).” The national average for pet-friendly rentals in the SafeWise data is 26.2%.

North Carolina General Statutes section 14-360(b) says, “If any person shall maliciously torture, mutilate, maim, cruelly beat, disfigure, poison, or kill, or cause or procure to be tortured, mutilated, maimed, cruelly beaten, disfigured, poisoned, or killed, any animal, every such offender shall for every such offense be guilty of a Class H felony.” The statute was last amended in 2015. ALDF’s 2025 report places North Carolina in its Middle Tier.

Nevada

SafeWise ranks Nevada fourth with a score of 71.71. The Nevada Revised Statutes, chapter 574 as revised through the 2025 session, include a rule on restraining dogs. NRS 574.100(2) says “a person shall not restrain a dog” using a tether, chain, tie, trolley, or pulley system or other device “that: (1) Is less than 12 feet in length.” It also bars restraining a dog “Using a prong, pinch or choke collar or similar restraint” or “For more than 10 hours during a 24-hour period.” One exception in subsection 4 covers a dog “Being walked by a person using a leash.”

ALDF’s 2025 report places Nevada in its Middle Tier and names Nevada and Tennessee as the most improved.

Vermont

SafeWise ranks Vermont fifth with a score of 71.69, 0.02 points behind Nevada at 71.71.

Selling pets

Vermont requires a license to run a pet shop under strict regulations. Section 3906(a) of title 20 of the Vermont Statutes says, “No person may transact business as a pet shop, as defined in this chapter, unless a license for that purpose has been granted by the Secretary to that person.” The state’s permit sheet on the licensing of pet merchants states the same requirement for pet merchants.

Homeowner’s insurance

For homeowner’s liability insurance there is no breed discrimination in Vermont. The Vermont Department of Financial Regulation, in a requirements sheet revised December 21, 2021, says “Vermont does not allow blanket animal exclusions or blanket exclusion of entire canine breeds.” ALDF’s 2025 report places Vermont in its Middle Tier.

The Lowest Ranked States In The SafeWise 2022 Ranking

SafeWise’s five lowest scores belong to New Mexico (16.12), Montana (23.4), Connecticut (29.2), Idaho (32.56), and Iowa (32.75). SafeWise says Montana, Connecticut, Idaho, and Iowa “all have lower percentages of rentals and lack some of our desired pet protection laws.”

New Mexico

SafeWise ranks New Mexico 48th with a score of 16.12. It says “New Mexico lacks all of our must-have pet laws, and only 15.9% of its available rentals are pet-friendly.”

The Animal Legal Defense Fund’s 2020 report, released February 17, 2021, says “New Mexico now ranks as the worst state for animal protection laws.” ALDF says New Mexico ranks low because “New Mexico is one of just four states with no prohibition on sexual assault of animals,” and because its definition of “animal” “excludes reptiles and wild, uncaptured animals.” New Mexico is in the Bottom Tier of ALDF’s 2025 report.

Animal Protection New Mexico’s 2018 shelter survey estimates that New Mexico’s shelters took in 100,514 dogs and cats in 2017, a high rate that is down from an estimated 138,499 in 2011. The group writes, “the problem of dog and cat overpopulation is still extreme in New Mexico.” It also reports that the number of animals euthanized decreased by 68% from its earlier survey.

Montana

SafeWise ranks Montana 47th with a score of 23.4. Only 9.3% of Montana’s rentals are pet-friendly in SafeWise’s data, the third lowest share after Rhode Island (7.8%) and Connecticut (9.1%). Montana is in the Bottom Tier of ALDF’s 2025 report.

Connecticut

SafeWise ranks Connecticut 46th with a score of 29.2. Its 9.1% share of pet-friendly rentals is the second lowest in the SafeWise data. ALDF’s 2025 report places Connecticut in its Top Tier.

Before You Move With A Pet

Each ranking above measures a different set of things, so read the factors before you read the order. Plan for emergency services where you live, and check the state and town pages for the local rules you will follow.

If you want to do more in supporting our furry friends, then check out some of our amazing rescue shirts! We ensure that a portion of our proceeds are donated to no-kill animal shelters.

FAQ

How many US households have a pet?

According to the 2025 National Pet Owners Survey cited in the American Pet Products Association’s 2026 State of the Industry Report, “95 million U.S. households own a pet.”

Which state has the highest share of households with pets?

SafeWise says “Wyoming, which ranks number 43 overall, has the highest pet population percentage in the US at 71.8%.” For its pet population numbers SafeWise used the American Veterinary Medical Association’s 2017-2018 Pet Ownership and Demographics Sourcebook, published in October 2018, and found an average of 59.3% across the country.

How did the COVID-19 pandemic change interest in pet adoption?

Researchers at City University of Hong Kong published a recent study of Google Trends search data in Frontiers in Veterinary Science in May 2021. They report that “the worldwide RSV for the categories of pet, dog and cat adoption peaked between April and May 2020,” and that “the RSV ratio (2020/2019) for both dog and cat adoption increased by up to 250%.” RSV is relative search volume. They add that “the RSV for dog adoption has been decreasing since July 2020 and returned to the 5-year average by December 2020. In contrast, the interest in cat adoption remained sustainably high.”

Sources

• SafeWise, “The Most (and Least) Pet-Friendly States in America,” by Trevor Wheelwright, March 15, 2022: safewise.com
• Animal Legal Defense Fund, 2025 U.S. Animal Protection Laws Rankings: aldf.org
• Animal Legal Defense Fund, “New Mexico Ranked Worst State for Animal Protection Laws,” February 17, 2021: aldf.org
• Animal Protection New Mexico, 2018 New Mexico Animal Shelter Survey: apnm.org
• Nevada Revised Statutes, chapter 574, NRS 574.100: leg.state.nv.us
• North Carolina General Statutes, section 14-360: ncleg.gov
• Indiana Department of Natural Resources, Pet Rules at Indiana State Parks: in.gov
• Vermont Statutes, 20 V.S.A. section 3906, Licensing of pet shops: legislature.vermont.gov
• Vermont Department of Financial Regulation, Homeowner’s and Dwelling Property, Personal Liability Requirements, revised December 21, 2021: dfr.vermont.gov
• Town of Thompson’s Station, Tennessee, Nutro Dog Park: thompsons-station.gov
• Metro Nashville Parks, Shelby Bottoms Greenway and Natural Area: nashville.gov
• American Pet Products Association, Industry Trends and Stats: americanpetproducts.org
• Ho, Hussain, and Sparagano, “Did the COVID-19 Pandemic Spark a Public Interest in Pet Adoption?” Frontiers in Veterinary Science, May 7, 2021: doi.org