Burleson, TX Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Section 6-10 of the Burleson Code of Ordinances is the leash and restraint rule. Subsection (a) says the owner of any animal commits an offense if the animal is at large, that the offense occurs without regard to any culpable mental state, and that there is an irrebuttable presumption that an animal at large became so by permission of its owner or harborer. An escaped dog is therefore the owner's offense even if a gate was left open by someone else. Subsection (c) authorizes the animal control authority, the animal services division of the City of Burleson, to impound any animal at large.

The § 6-1 definition of AT LARGE supplies the test. On the owner's premises, a dog is at large if it is not confined by a building, wall, or substantial fence of sufficient strength, height and construction to prevent escape, or secured by a chain or leash strong enough to keep it on the premises. Off the premises, a dog is at large unless it is confined in the owner's or handler's vehicle so it cannot make unsolicited contact with any person or property, or otherwise restrained by a leash, chain, or other physical apparatus of sufficient strength and length to preclude that contact.

Tethering has its own rule in § 6-9(f). A tether attaches to a properly fitted collar and is never wrapped directly around the animal's neck. An owner cannot leave an animal outside and unattended on a restraint that unreasonably limits its movement between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m., within 500 feet of a school, or in extreme weather, including an actual or effective temperature below 32° F, a heat advisory, or a hurricane, tropical storm, or tornado warning. Walking a dog on a hand-held leash is not prohibited. Under § 6-9(g), keeping a dog in a fence or enclosure in disrepair is an offense.

Other leash-related rules apply in specific places and cases. Dogs are prohibited from the entry gates and the spectator and playing field areas at Chisenhall Fields, though they are permitted in the parking lot, pedestrian trail and other undeveloped areas of the park (§ 6-5), with an exception for a service animal under its owner's control. A dog declared dangerous must be on a leash in the immediate control of a person over the age of 18 or in a secure enclosure (§ 6-13(g)). An unspayed female dog in heat must be confined in a house, building, or secure enclosure (§ 6-10(b)).