Deerfield Beach, FL Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Sec. 10-6(a) requires that no dog, whether or not it is licensed, muzzled, or inoculated against rabies, be allowed on public thoroughfares, streets, avenues, alleys, public lands, parks, or in public places like restaurants and theaters, or on property other than its owner's or custodian's, unless the dog is fastened to a leash of dependable strength that does not exceed ten feet in length. Subsection (b) narrows this only for hunting dogs actively engaged in the sport of hunting in authorized areas under competent supervision, and for dogs used by blind or handicapped persons.

Subsection (c) separately makes it unlawful for an owner or custodian to permit a dog to run at large or beyond the owner's premises without being securely held on a leash, and requires a muzzle if the dog behaves in a vicious manner. Subsections (d) and (e) extend the at-large prohibition specifically to both spayed/neutered and intact dogs straying onto public property or another person's private property without that owner's express or implied consent. Sec. 10-7 layers on a separate ban against a dog that leaps, lunges, or barks so as to make others feel threatened, even off the custodian's property.