Costa Mesa, CA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Section 3-112 of the Costa Mesa Municipal Code bars anyone with care, charge or control of a dog from allowing it onto any street, alley, park or public place unless it is securely restrained by a leash or chain not exceeding six feet, with that person physically holding it. The six-foot cap means retractable leads or long lines extended past six feet don't satisfy the section even if the handler is technically holding the other end. If a police officer or other city enforcement officer determines a dog is in violation, the officer can order the person in charge to immediately remove the dog from the street, alley, park or public place; the section doesn't require a warning notice first, unlike the barking-dog process elsewhere in the title.

The leash rule sits alongside Section 3-15's broader "running at large" prohibition, which bars letting any animal stray or run loose on public streets, private roads, or another's property without permission, and allows impoundment of animals found at large. Section 3-15 also allows a police officer or animal control officer to summarily destroy an animal running at large that is creating a danger to public health or safety and cannot be seized by ordinary means. Together, Sections 3-112 and 3-15 mean a Costa Mesa dog owner must keep the animal on a six-foot-or-shorter leash any time it is off the owner's own property.