Framingham, MA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Framingham's leash law, City Code § 206-3, makes it unlawful for anyone owning or harboring a dog to let it run at large in any street or public place in the city, or to let it onto someone else's property without that owner's or occupant's permission. Any dog in a street or public place must be "effectively restrained by a chain or leash not exceeding 10 feet in length," so an unleashed dog, or one on a leash longer than 10 feet, is a violation even if it is under voice control.

The requirement applies to every dog regardless of breed, size, or temperament, and treats trespassing on a neighbor's yard without permission the same as running loose on a public street. Section 206-4 makes it the Animal Control Officer's duty to apprehend any dog found running at large or otherwise violating the Dogs article and impound it, recording the breed, color, and sex, and whether it is licensed. An owner listed on a license tag is notified as soon as possible, and can reclaim an impounded dog by paying any unpaid license fee plus the city's impounding and maintenance costs.

Enforcement runs through § 206-7's escalating penalty schedule: a warning for a first offense, $50 for a second, $60 for a third, and $100 for every subsequent offense, with each day of noncompliance potentially treated as its own violation under the article's general terms. The Animal Control Officer and Framingham Police both patrol for loose or unleashed dogs, and complaints from neighbors under § 206-1's separate disturbance-of-the-peace provision can also trigger action against a dog that is chronically allowed to roam.