El Dorado County, CA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

El Dorado County Code Title 6 (Animals) is the local authority for leash and at-large enforcement in unincorporated El Dorado County. Owners are required to keep their dogs confined to their own property or maintained on a leash at all times when the dog is off the owner's property. A dog off the owner's premises and not under restraint by leash or other adequate means is considered 'at large' and is subject to impound and citation by El Dorado County Animal Services. If the officer witnesses a dog running loose, the dog may be impounded, the owner cited, or - depending on circumstance - a written warning issued. If a dog has returned home before Animal Services arrives, the dog cannot be impounded, but Animal Services typically posts a warning notice at the residence. Dogs over 4 months old must be licensed and currently vaccinated against rabies under Title 6 and California Health & Safety Code Section 121690. Within Eldorado National Forest, US Forest Service regulations require dogs to be on a leash no more than 6 feet long in developed recreation sites and apply specific leash and clean-up rules on certain trails. On Lake Tahoe Basin trails - including Tahoe-area trailheads in the unincorporated South Lake Tahoe area - unleashed dogs have been documented as an ongoing issue, and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency and Forest Service signage typically requires leashing. The City of Placerville and the City of South Lake Tahoe operate under their own municipal animal control codes within their city limits. Dangerous-dog and potentially-dangerous-dog declarations follow California Food & Agricultural Code Section 31601 et seq.