Bergen County, NJ Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)
Key Facts
- Leash length limit
- 6 feet maximum on park property
- Governing section
- Art. III § (b) Animals/Wildlife, ¶4
- Cleanup duty
- Owners must bag and bin droppings, ¶5
- Enforcement
- Sheriff's Office and Parks Department staff
- Fine range
- $100 to $2,000 under Article IX
- Adopted
- March 19, 2025 by County Executive and Commissioners
Summary
Bergen County's Parks System Rules and Regulations require every dog on county park property to stay on a leash no more than six feet long, except inside areas the county has specifically designated for off-leash use. Only household pets of a gentle nature are permitted in the parks at all, and any animal a law requires to be licensed must carry that license while on the grounds.
4. Unless in a designated area, no animals or fowl shall be allowed to run at large on/or within park premises, and dogs on said premises shall be restrained by a leash not more than six feet in length. 5. Owners and caretakers must scoop up and securely bag or wrap the pet's droppings and deposit them in a waste container.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
The Bergen County Parks System Rules and Regulations, adopted March 19, 2025 by the County Executive and Board of County Commissioners, set out the leash standard in Article III, Section (b), Animals/Wildlife. Paragraph 4 states that unless a visitor is inside a designated off-leash area, no animal or fowl may run at large anywhere in the park system, and every dog on park premises must be restrained by a leash not more than six feet long. Paragraph 1 limits park access to household pets of a gentle nature, and paragraph 2 requires any animal that federal, state, county, or municipal law requires to be licensed to carry that license while in the park.
Paragraph 5 adds a cleanup duty: owners and caretakers must scoop up and securely bag or wrap droppings and deposit them in a waste container, not leave them on the trail or lawn. Pets, aside from service animals, are barred entirely from the McFaul Environmental Center, the Bergen County Zoo, Darlington Park, the Department's golf courses, horseback riding areas, and the interior of any park building under paragraph 8 of the same section. The rule applies whenever a resident of any of Bergen County's 70 municipalities brings a dog into a county-owned park, reservation, or parkway, from Overpeck County Park in the east to Ramapo Valley Reservation and Campgaw Mountain in the west. Enforcement runs through the Bergen County Sheriff's Office and designated Parks Department employees, who patrol the grounds under Article IX of the same regulations.
Violations & Fines
A leash or licensing violation is enforced under Article IX, Enforcement/Fines & Penalties. The Bergen County Sheriff's Office and Parks Department staff can eject a violator, and repeat offenses within the same park can bring a seasonal or lifetime ban. Where the rules set no specific penalty, a court can impose a fine of $100 to $2,000, up to 90 days in the county jail or community service, or both, with an enhanced separate fine for a second violation within one year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I let my dog off-leash in a Bergen County park?
Do I have to pick up after my dog in the county parks?
Are cats and other pets covered by the leash rule too?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bergen County
Compare Bergen County to another location·View the New Jersey animal ordinances overview
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