Calvert County, MD Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)
Key Facts
- Base rule
- Leash or carrier required off owner's property
- Dog park exception
- No leash inside designated fenced area
- Community cats
- Exempt from at-large rule
- HOA/condo common areas
- Count as owner's real property
- Violation class
- Class A, up to $1,000
Summary
In Calvert County, an owner may not let a dog, other domesticated animal or agricultural livestock roam loose off the owner's real property unless it is on a leash or in a carrier and under a responsible person's control. Homeowners association and condo common areas count as the owner's property, and dogs in a designated public dog park's fenced area are exempt.
§ 7-6-101. Animal at-large. A. Except as provided in Subsection C below, an owner or custodian may not allow a domesticated animal or agricultural livestock to be loose off their real property without being confined or controlled by a leash or carrier. (1) For the purpose of this regulation, the owner's real property shall include the common areas of a homeowners' association, condominium, apartment complex, and townhouse development if the owner shares an interest in the common areas. This subsection does not affect any right of a common ownership community to regulate or ban animals from the community's property. ... ... B. An owner or custodian may not allow an animal to be off their real property without being accompanied by and under the control of a responsible person capable of physically restraining the animal. C. Exceptions. (1) Dogs located within the designated fence of a public dog park are not required to be on a leash. (2) Community cats.
Full Breakdown
Section 7-6-101(A) bars an owner or custodian from allowing a domesticated animal or agricultural livestock to be loose off their real property unless confined or controlled by a leash or carrier, and subsection (A)(1) extends 'real property' to the shared common areas of a homeowners association, condominium, apartment complex or townhouse development in which the owner holds an interest, without stripping a community's own right to further regulate or ban animals on its property. Subsection (B) separately requires that any animal off its owner's property be accompanied by and under the control of a responsible person capable of physically restraining it.
Subsection (C) sets two exceptions: dogs inside the fenced area of a designated public dog park need not be leashed, and community cats are exempt outright. Section 7-6-101(A)(2) also excuses an owner from an at-large citation while participating in training, hunting or a sporting activity on someone else's land, provided that landowner gave express permission for that purpose. The rule sits in Part 6 of Chapter 7 among the chapter's other prohibited-acts provisions, alongside separate sections barring unwanted contact or property damage by a loose animal, disturbing noise, and public defecation, each enforced by Animal Control Officers responding to complaints or personal observation.
Violations & Fines
Letting an animal run at large is not a Part 5 or Part 7 offense, so it is a Class A violation under § 7-11-301: a fine of up to $50 for a first offense, $100 for a second, and fines doubling toward a $1,000 cap for later offenses. Animal Services may issue a warning instead of a citation to a first-time offender, and each day the animal remains at large is a separate violation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I let my dog off-leash in my condo's common yard?
Are there any off-leash areas in Calvert County?
What's the penalty for a dog running at large?
Do community cats have to be leashed under this rule?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Calvert County
Compare Calvert County to another location·View the Maryland animal ordinances overview
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