Start with the jurisdiction.

Federal / Public access

ADA: tasks, control and access

DOJ provides the service-animal definition, permitted access questions, control duties and the distinction between disability-related work and aggressive protection. (U.S. Department of Justice: service-animal FAQ; U.S. Department of Justice: Title III regulations and Appendix A)

Federal / Housing

HUD: read the dated guidance

The 22 May 2026 memorandum changes FHEO's animal-accommodation enforcement approach. It preserves private civil-action rights and does not address ADA or Section 504 processing. Check state law and later developments separately. (HUD: animal-accommodation enforcement memorandum, 22 May 2026)

Federal / Air travel

DOT: air-carrier requirements

The ACAA service-animal framework and DOT documentation process are separate from public-access and housing questions. (U.S. Department of Transportation: service animals)

Montana / Civil liability

The city-or-town boundary matters.

Section 27-1-715 addresses unprovoked bites to people or service animals in public or lawfully on private property within incorporated cities or towns. It is one statute, not an exhaustive statement of all liability. (Montana Code Annotated § 27-1-715)

Local / Butte-Silver Bow

Start with Animal Control.

The county's page points to Title 6 of the municipal code, the current-rabies requirement and incident-reporting channels. This initial collection links the official gateway; it is not a line-by-line municipal-code review. (Butte-Silver Bow Animal Control)

California / Civil liability

Owner liability and government limits.

Civil Code § 3342 addresses bite liability and contains conditional provisions for government military/police dogs. Those provisions do not confer general civilian protection-K9 immunity. (California Civil Code § 3342)

California / Housing

State ESA protections remain distinct.

CRD's 20 July 2026 alert states that California's disability-related housing accommodation protections continue to include necessary ESAs without a training or certification requirement, despite HUD's enforcement change. (California Civil Rights Department: ESA housing alert, 20 July 2026)

Virginia / Dangerous-dog orders

Duties after a finding.

Section 3.2-6540.01 requires insurance or a surety bond of at least $100,000 after a dangerous-dog finding, along with identification, registration and confinement requirements. (Virginia Code § 3.2-6540.01)

Texas / Criminal and animal control

An attack can raise criminal questions.

Chapter 822 includes specified serious-attack offenses in § 822.005, defenses in § 822.006 and dangerous-dog requirements in § 822.042. Liability depends on statutory elements and facts; this chapter is not a complete Texas civil-liability survey. (Texas Health and Safety Code, Chapter 822)