Flagstaff, AZ Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Flagstaff City Code § 6-02-001-0001(A) requires every person owning or having charge, care, custody or control of a dog to keep it exclusively on the owner's own premises, with one exception: the dog may leave the property if it is under the control of a competent person and restrained by a chain, leash, rope or cord strong enough to contain it. Subsection A.1 states directly that it is unlawful for a dog to be at large within the boundaries of the City, so an off-leash dog anywhere off its owner's property is at large.

Flagstaff City Code § 6-02-001-0002 lets any dog found running at large be impounded at the City-designated pound for seventy-two hours, or lets the Animal Control Officer issue a citation on the spot instead of impounding if the owner can be identified. Redemption fees under § 6-02-001-0003 escalate with repeat impoundments of the same dog and owner within twelve months: $50 for the first, $100 for the second, $200 for the third and $400 for the fourth, plus impoundment costs, and an unlicensed dog's owner must also produce a rabies vaccination certificate and pay the license fee before reclaiming it.

If ownership of an impounded dog is not proven within seventy-two hours, § 6-02-001-0004 allows the City to destroy the dog humanely or place it with someone who will provide a license, tag and vaccination. Under the penalty schedule at § 6-02-001-0012(A), a Dog at Large conviction under subsection (A) is a Class 2 misdemeanor with a fine of not less than $50, rising to not less than $150, plus a $100 surcharge to fund the animal shelter, for a second at-large conviction within twelve months.