Caddo Parish, LA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Section 8-69 of the Code of Ordinances prohibits any person from suffering or permitting a dog in their possession, or kept about their premises, to run at large on unenclosed land, or to trespass on the enclosed or unenclosed land of another. Dogs found at large in violation are subject to impoundment by Caddo Parish Animal Services, and section 8-69(c) makes it unlawful for anyone to harbor an at-large dog or withhold it from animal control officers. This section works alongside the confinement duty in section 8-37(d)(1), which requires that dogs and cats be kept from running at large and confined, except animals in training for or performing search and rescue, legal hunting, or livestock herding.

An owner whose dog or cat damages another person's property while at large is responsible for that damage; if a dog causes property damage, the director may classify it as dangerous under section 8-67 and impose the restrictions that come with that classification. Guard dogs get a related but distinct rule under section 8-68(d): they must be kept within a structure or fenced enclosure at all times, with a posted sign reading 'guard dog' or similar wording, and the owner must immediately notify Caddo Parish Animal Services if a guard dog escapes and is running at large. Impounded dogs are processed under section 8-63, and owners redeeming an at-large dog owe impoundment and board fees set out in section 8-73.