Coon Rapids, MN Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Section 6-102(8) defines running at large as being off the owner's property and not restrained by a leash, cord, or chain of six feet or less, or otherwise confined; a dog riding loose inside a parked vehicle is exempt, but Section 6-114(2) requires the leash to go back on the moment the dog leaves the vehicle. Section 6-114(1) makes it unlawful for an owner to allow that at-large condition at all. Section 6-105(1) directs the Animal Control Authority, which is the Coon Rapids Police Department or the Police Department's contracted designee under Sections 6-102(1) and 6-104, to capture, seize, and deliver any at-large dog to the City's designated animal shelter.

Section 6-107 requires the owner to be notified as soon as practical, and Section 6-108 lets the owner reclaim the dog only after paying the shelter's impound boarding fees for every day of confinement. Section 6-115 treats a dog that has been permitted to run loose, or that has damaged another person's property, three or more times as a public nuisance, and Section 6-116 gives the owner 14 days after notice to permanently remove the dog from the City or have it destroyed before the Animal Control Authority steps in.

Section 6-124 separately requires anyone with a dog off their own property to carry the means to pick up and dispose of its waste, and Section 6-125 lets a community service officer, not just a sworn police officer, issue the citation.