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Bend, OR Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

At-large rule
Bend Code § 5.20.025
Cats exempt
from at-large rule
Off-leash areas
must be Council-designated
Off-leash conduct
no fighting, biting, harassing
Enforcement
Bend Police, Municipal Court

Summary

In the City of Bend, dogs may not run at large: they must stay under complete, tethered control of the owner by adequate leash or bridle unless inside a City Council-designated off-leash area. Off-leash dogs must still be controlled and kept from fighting, biting or harassing people or animals. Violations are civil infractions enforced by Bend Police.

No animal other than a domestic cat may run at large. The owner or keeper of an animal is responsible for an animal at large. ... F. Off-leash area means an area designated by the Bend City Council pursuant to BC 5.20.030 as an area where dogs are not required to be leashed. ... I. Run at large means to be off the private premises where the animal is allowed to be by the person in charge of those premises and not under the complete, tethered control of the owner or keeper by adequate leash or bridle. Any animal in a vehicle shall not be considered to be “at large.”

View official code

Full Breakdown

000(I) as being off the owner's private premises and not under the complete, tethered control of the owner or keeper by adequate leash or bridle; an animal riding in a vehicle is not considered at large. The owner or keeper is responsible for an animal found at large. 030 lets the Bend City Council designate specific areas of Bend Metropolitan Park and Recreation District parks as off-leash areas, but that designation only takes effect after BMPRD gives written notice to the Bend Chief of Police, and owners must still follow BMPRD's off-leash rules.

Even in a designated off-leash area, the owner or keeper must control the dog at all times and may not let it fight other dogs or harass, bark at, bite, threaten or injure a person or animal; dangerous animals are barred from off-leash areas outright. 040 gets the dog excluded from all off-leash areas pending the Municipal Court Judge's review. 045, and the owner must pay processing and boarding fees set by City Council before release.

Violations & Fines

Letting a dog run at large is a Class B civil infraction; violating off-leash area conditions, including failure to control a dog or a repeat at-large offense tied to an off-leash exclusion, is a Class A civil infraction under Bend Code 5.20.065, carrying penalties up to $750.00 through the Municipal Court's civil infraction process, plus impound and boarding fees if the dog is seized.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do dogs have to be on a leash everywhere in Bend?
Yes, unless the dog is inside an area the Bend City Council has formally designated as off-leash under Bend Code 5.20.030. Outside those areas, Bend Code 5.20.025 requires every dog to be under complete, tethered control by adequate leash or bridle.
Are cats required to be leashed in Bend?
No. Bend Code 5.20.025 exempts domestic cats from the at-large prohibition that applies to every other animal, so a cat roaming off its owner's property is not itself a leash-law violation under Bend Code.
What happens if my dog is caught at large in Bend?
A Bend Police officer may seize and impound the dog under Bend Code 5.20.045, and it is held at the contracted animal shelter until processing and boarding fees are paid and any citation is resolved by the Bend Municipal Court, which can impose a civil penalty.

Sources & Official References

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All Bend rules

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