Annapolis, MD Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- Anne Arundel County Animal Control, Article 12
- Enforced by
- Anne Arundel County, not City Police
- City code section
- Annapolis City Code § 8.04.020
- Local add-ons allowed
- City Council may adopt additional rules
Summary
Annapolis has no separate leash ordinance. City Code § 8.04.020 adopts Anne Arundel County's Animal Control Article 12, including its leash and at-large rules, and the County enforces it inside city limits.
Except as otherwise provided by this chapter, the provisions of the Anne Arundel County Code (1986 edition and supplements), Article 12, Animal Control, as the same from time to time may be amended, are applicable and effective within the City as though those provisions were set forth at length in this chapter. The County shall administer and enforce those regulations in the City in the same manner as they are administered and enforced in the non municipal areas of the County.B.In addition to provisions of the Anne Arundel County Code made applicable within the City pursuant to the preceding subsection, the City Council may provide for additional animal control through the adoption of provisions to this chapter. All such additional animal control provisions shall be administered and enforced by the Department of Planning and Zoning. (Ord. O-26-03 § 1 (part): prior code §§ 4-1 (part), 4-2)
(Ord. No. O-12-16 Amended, § I, 5-23-2016)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 2025 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
Annapolis never wrote its own leash law. City Code § 8.04.020(A) provides that the Anne Arundel County Code's Article 12, Animal Control, "as the same from time to time may be amended, are applicable and effective within the City as though those provisions were set forth at length in this chapter," and that the County administers and enforces those regulations in the City the same way it does outside the City. So a dog running loose or off-leash in Annapolis is cited under the county's animal-control ordinance, not a distinct city rule, though § 8.04.020(B) lets the City Council layer on additional local animal-control provisions if it chooses.
Violations & Fines
Dogs found at large or unleashed in Annapolis are cited under Anne Arundel County's Animal Control ordinance (Article 12) by county Animal Control officers, enforced the same as in the unincorporated county: the City does not issue a separate leash citation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Annapolis have its own dog leash ordinance?
Who enforces the leash law in Annapolis?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Annapolis
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