Burlington, WI Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Section 104-8, last amended November 20, 2007 (Ord. No. 1849(22)), makes it unlawful for a dog owner to allow the animal to run at large, which the ordinance defines as the dog's presence anywhere except the owner's own premises. Two carve-outs keep an otherwise-loose dog compliant: a dog that is leashed and under the control of a person physically able to handle it is not considered at large, and neither is a dog that is off-leash but inside the fenced area of a City dog park.

Dogs, along with cats, are separately barred from City cemeteries under § 104-8B. When a police officer or a person the Chief of Police designates captures a dog running at large, § 104-8D requires impoundment at a location the Chief directs; if the dog carries an identification tag its owner must be notified within 24 hours, and the dog must be held at least seven days even if unclaimed, unlike cats, which need not be held absent a rabies concern. An owner reclaiming an impounded dog pays the reasonable custody and care costs, required vaccinations and licensing, and a Common Council-set impoundment fee under § 104-8D(3).

Dogs suspected of rabies are instead handled under state law. Every dog over five months old must also carry a current City license under § 104-3, tied to the same rabies-vaccination requirement in § 104-5 that applies to cats.