Greene County, MO Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Missouri does not impose a statewide leash mandate. The closest statewide rule is RSMo §578.012 (the Adequate Care and Adequate Control statute), which makes it an offense for an owner to fail to provide adequate control — defined as reasonably restraining or governing an animal so it does not injure itself, any person, another animal, or property. Greene County's unincorporated jurisdiction is covered by the Greene County Zoning Regulations and adopted building codes, but the county has not enacted a stand-alone county-wide animal control ordinance equivalent to Boone or Jackson Counties' codes. Vicious-dog and dog-bite questions are governed primarily by Missouri statute: RSMo §273.036 imposes strict liability on a dog owner for injury when the dog bites a person who was on public property or lawfully on private property, and RSMo §273.033 makes it unlawful for a dog owner to knowingly let a dog run at large with rabies. RSMo §273.030 makes a dog that kills or injures sheep or other domestic animals a public nuisance. Rabies vaccination is regulated statewide under RSMo Chapter 322. The Springfield-Greene County Health Department oversees rabies-prevention messaging and tracks confirmed rabies cases countywide. Inside Springfield city limits, Chapter 18 of the Springfield Code requires dogs to be registered, vaccinated, and under leash restraint when off the owner's property; Springfield-Greene County Animal Control (a Health Department service) enforces both city and contracted-area rules at (417) 833-3592. Other Greene County cities — Republic, Battlefield, Strafford, Willard, Ash Grove, and Fair Grove — each have their own animal-control ordinances. Always check whether your address is inside or outside an incorporated city.