Dubuque, IA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- City Code 7-6B-1, 7-6B-7
- Valid restraint
- Leash, crate/vehicle, vet hospital, fenced yard
- Impoundment authority
- City Manager or Police Department
- Licensed dog redemption window
- 7 days after notice mailed
- Unlicensed dog redemption window
- 3 days after seizure
- Repeat impoundment window
- 365 days triggers added fee
Summary
Dubuque bans letting a dog run at large under City Code 7-6B-7, and 7-6B-1 spells out the only ways a dog counts as restrained: a proper leash, a secured vehicle or crate, a vet hospital, or a fenced yard the dog cannot leave.
AT LARGE: Any dog, cat or livestock, fowl or ferret found off the premises of the owner or keeper. A dog or cat shall not be deemed at large if the dog or cat is: A. Attached to a leash of sufficient strength and appropriate length to control the animal where such leash is held by its owner or keeper; or B. Restrained within an enclosed motor vehicle or by crate or leash of sufficient strength and appropriate length to keep the dog or cat within the motor vehicle; or C. Housed in a licensed veterinarian's animal hospital; or D. Accompanied by the owner or keeper on the premises of another with such person's consent and restrained by an adequate protective fence or by leash, cord, chain or other similar restraint that does not allow the dog or cat to go beyond such person's property line or to come into contact with anyone outside such person's property line. ... 7-6B-7: ... RUNNING AT LARGE: It shall be unlawful for any owner or keeper to permit or allow a dog, cat, ferret, livestock or fowl to run at large.
Full Breakdown
Section 7-6B-1 defines AT LARGE as any dog, cat, livestock, fowl, or ferret found off the premises of its owner or keeper. A dog is not deemed at large only if it is attached to a leash of sufficient strength and appropriate length held by its owner or keeper, restrained within an enclosed vehicle or by crate or leash inside that vehicle, housed in a licensed veterinarian's animal hospital, or accompanied by its owner on someone else's property with that person's consent while restrained by an adequate protective fence or a leash, cord, or chain that keeps it from crossing that property's line or reaching anyone outside it.
Section 7-6B-7, Running At Large, then makes it unlawful for any owner or keeper to permit or allow a dog, cat, ferret, livestock, or fowl to run at large anywhere in the City, both sections dating to Ordinance 76-08 in 2008 and Ordinance 28-17 in 2017. An unlicensed dog found at large, or any dog found at large without its license tag attached under 7-6B-2.E.2, is subject to seizure and impoundment under 7-6B-10, and a licensed dog not redeemed within seven days of the mailing of an impoundment notice loses its license automatically and is disposed of by the City Manager.
Redemption of an impounded dog requires paying the City Manager's set impoundment fee plus a daily boarding fee, and a second impoundment of the same animal within 365 days triggers that fee schedule again.
Violations & Fines
A dog running at large is unlawful under 7-6B-7 and exposes the animal to impoundment under 7-6B-10, with redemption requiring payment of the City Manager's impoundment fee and a daily fee for each day boarded; failure to redeem a licensed dog within seven days after notice results in automatic license revocation and disposal, while an unlicensed dog not redeemed within three days is disposed of.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my dog be off-leash in my own fenced backyard in Dubuque?
What happens if my dog gets loose and picked up in Dubuque?
Is a dog on a long lead in my car considered at large?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Dubuque
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