Lake County, FL Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Lake County Code § 4-3 supplies the two definitions that decide whether a dog is legally 'at large.' 'At large' means any animal not under proper restraint or the direct control, custody, charge or possession of the owner. 'Proper restraint' means either securely and humanely confined within a house, vehicle, building, fence, crate, or pen so it cannot escape, or leashed or otherwise controlled by a responsible person physically present, including obedience to voice command, but the ordinance specifically requires that the voice command be demonstrated as effective if an Animal Enforcement Officer asks.

The prohibition itself sits in § 4-27(a)(1): it's a violation for an owner to fail to exercise sufficient care and control such that the animal 'runs at large,' with a single carve-out for hunting dogs in authorized areas during authorized hunting seasons. Running at large is grouped with the county's other nuisance-animal acts, excessive noise, offensive odors, property damage, and uncollected waste, under the same section, and Animal Enforcement Officers may trap, hold, and impound a dog found at large under § 4-27(b).

Penalties follow the same schedule as the rest of § 4-27: a recommended $150 fine for a first at-large violation, rising to $500 for any repeat within five years, under § 4-27(c). Leash rules tighten further on county property: § 16-8 requires dogs in Lake County parks to be on a leash no longer than six feet. Owners should also note that 'tethering' a dog outside, tying it to a fence, tree, post, or similar fixture, is separately restricted under § 4-41 and is not the same thing as the leashed 'proper restraint' this section describes.