Gardena, CA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Gardena Municipal Code Section 6.02.010 adopts Los Angeles County Code Title 10 as the city's own animal control law, so the county's at-large rule applies directly inside Gardena. Section 10.37.180 states that an owner or custodian of a dog who allows a dog to be uncontrolled or at large on public property, on the private property of another person, or on common areas of private property is guilty of an infraction, or a misdemeanor if the dog injures a person or a domestic animal or livestock.

The rule reaches three settings: public streets and parks, a neighbor's private lot, and shared common areas such as an apartment complex courtyard. A first, non-injury at-large incident is charged as an infraction; Section 1.16.010's general infraction penalties then apply unless Title 10's own penalty clauses control, with escalating fines for repeat infractions within a year. If the loose dog bites or otherwise injures a person, or attacks another domestic animal or livestock, the same conduct is charged as a misdemeanor instead, exposing the owner to the Chapter 1.16 misdemeanor penalty of up to a $1,000 fine and six months in jail.

Section 10.12.210(B) elsewhere in the adopted county code separately authorizes a county employee or law enforcement officer to enter property to capture an animal running at large, and a person who prevents or obstructs that capture is guilty of a misdemeanor. Enforcement runs through the Los Angeles County Department of Animal Care and Control under contract, with the Gardena chief of police acting as poundmaster under Section 6.02.005.