Arlington County, VA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Chapter 2, Article II of the Arlington County Code sets the leashing and at-large standard. Section 2-6 requires that all dogs be kept secured by a leash or lead and under the control of the owner or another responsible person, or kept within the real property limits of the owner, unless the Animal Control Officer's office grants a time-and-place waiver for activities such as off-lead training, obedience matches and trials, or for a dog with a skin condition aggravated by a collar. The section also carves out County-designated off-leash exercise areas.

Separately, § 2-5 makes it unlawful for an owner to permit a dog, licensed or not, to run at large in the County, defined in § 2-4 as roaming, running, or self-hunting off the owner's property and not under the owner's or custodian's immediate control; once a landowner or officer has notified the owner that the dog is running at large, any further lapse is treated as a violation. Section 2-5(B) additionally makes the owner responsible for removing the dog's excretion from any property other than the owner's own land and from the area between the edges or curbs of public streets.

Officers may impound a dog found running at large under § 2-9, and the owner must pay a boarding fee to redeem it, with escalating fees of $10, $20, and $30 for the second, third, and later impoundments within a year; an impounded dog with a current license tag is held five days before it may be sold or destroyed if unclaimed.