Escambia County, FL Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Section 10-11(a) is the county's core at-large law: animals may not roam at large on public or private property without the consent of the owner or lessee, and whenever an animal is off its owner's premises, or premises where the owner has permission, it must be under the direct control of a person competent to control it. Section 10-3 defines direct control as 'immediate, continuous, physical control by a person of an animal at all times such as by means of a carrier, leash, cord, or chain of such strength to restrain the animal,' so an off-leash dog in an unfenced yard, or one merely trailing an owner at a distance, does not meet the standard.

Failure to maintain direct control is itself declared a nuisance, and the animal 'may be seized, restrained, impounded, and disposed of' under the chapter. Subsection (b) layers on a public-places ban: animals, leashed or not, are barred from airports, restaurants, grocery stores, public parks, beaches, festivals, school grounds and bus stops, and specifically from Santa Rosa Island and Perdido Key bathing beaches, though an owner may keep an animal within 50 feet of a building they own or lease. Exceptions under (c) cover law-enforcement animals, ADA service animals, dog shows and training demonstrations, airline transport, permitted special events, designated Santa Rosa Island and Perdido Key areas, county-park exceptions set by the parks director, and dog-friendly dining patios.

Violations run through DAW and the civil-infraction penalty scheme in Section 10-22, capped at $500 per offense with a $5 training surcharge, and repeat at-large citations can trigger a judicial order barring the owner from keeping animals in the county.