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Keeping your dog on a leash is one of the best ways to keep your dog, other dogs, and other people safe while you’re outside. As a general rule, it’s best practice to keep your dog leashed at all times when out in public areas. However, different states have their laws for keeping dogs leashed as well as their ways of enforcing these laws.
We’ve provided a list with basic information on dog leash laws in each state. However, keep in mind that many states defer dog leash rules and regulations to individual municipalities. So, it’s best to contact a specific municipality to get the most updated information on their policies and how they enforce dog leash laws.
There is no federal law for leashing dogs, and it’s up to individual states to decide if they want to have official state leash laws. Therefore, states have varying leash laws and different methods of enforcing them.
In most cases, state leash laws can be placed in six categories:
We’ll go over each type of leash law and which states enforce each type of law.
Some states require dogs to be leashed whenever they’re away from their owners or be under control when their owners aren’t on their property. It’s rare to be in a state that has this type of law, and Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee are currently the three states that require dogs to always be under the control of their owners.
These states do have some exceptions to this leash law. Certain dogs, including working dogs and guard dogs, don’t have to be leashed while they’re engaged in their designated activity or job. Michigan dog leash laws allow hunting dogs to be off-leash during hunting season while they’re hunting with their owners.
Many states have laws regarding dogs running at large and roaming around. Some states have statewide restrictions on roaming, while others leave it to their municipalities to create and enforce their laws. For example, dog leash laws in Texas include a statewide law for roaming dogs, while the Florida leash law for dogs leaves it up to each county, city, and municipality to make and enforce their dog roaming laws.
Dogs that are caught roaming beyond their owner’s premises may be subject to impoundment. Some states may also consider dogs running around and not responding to their owner’s voice commands as dogs that are running at large.
The following states have laws regarding dogs running at large:
Most states don’t have leash laws for dogs in public areas and leave it up to local governments to make them. However, even states with looser leash laws have the majority of their cities and towns enforce rules that protect parks and local wildlife. For example, California dog leash laws are quite loose, but many towns still enforce stricter leash laws for parks and other public spaces.
The following states have statewide laws for leashes in parks, state grounds, or wildlife areas:
Some states have a law that requires all dogs to be confined if a rabies quarantine order has been issued. This means that dogs aren’t allowed to roam and must be confined to their owner’s property. They also must remain leashed throughout the rabies quarantine order.
These states have statewide laws for rabies quarantine orders:
Although uncommon, states can enforce a law that keeps female dogs leashed or restrained while they’re in heat. This law can be set in place for safety reasons or to lower the stray dog population. It can be enforced by not allowing female dogs to roam and to make sure they’re leashed and controlled when in public areas.
The following states have laws for leashing female dogs in heat:
Lastly, states can enforce leash laws for nighttime. States that enforce these types of laws typically won’t allow dogs to be outside or roam around after sunset. Dogs must either be leashed or supervised by their owners.
Only a handful of states have statewide laws for leashing or confining dogs at night:
In some cases, states won’t have any statewide dog leash laws. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you can let your dog be off-leash without any consequences. These states may not have state laws, but they’ll leave it up to cities and towns to make and enforce their dog leash laws instead.
The following states don’t have any statewide dog leash laws in place:
Most states have some sort of dog leash law. However, many of them leave it up to individual cities and towns to enforce leash laws. So, different cities in the same state could have distinct dog leash laws.
It’s best practice just to keep your dog leashed whenever you’re out in public with them. Not only will this prevent you from getting fined, but it’ll also help keep your dog safe from unfamiliar dogs. If your dog enjoys walking around off-leash, make sure to check with the local municipality to ensure you have the most updated and accurate information on its dog leash laws.
Featured Image Credit: alexei_tm, Shutterstock
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Jessica is a freelance writer who spends bigger part of her day researching and writing while her furry companion Cavapoo, Nora, snoozes beside her. She loves dogs, pets and animals because there’s so much to learn from them, and they do so much for us. As a dog mom, she understands the strong connection that pet parents have with their pets. So, she loves sharing helpful information that pet owners can use to better understand their beloved pets. When she isn't writing, you may find her walking dogs, tending to her plants, or drinking her nth cup of coffee.
