Gretna, LA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

" The section has been amended five times since the 1979 code, most recently by Ordinance No. 4985 on July 12, 2023, showing the council has repeatedly tightened it. A dog or cat outside its yard without a leash and its owner is in violation regardless of whether it strayed accidentally, because the duty is placed on the owner or keeper to keep the animal confined or accompanied. Since 2019 and 2021 amendments, the same paragraph lets the Gretna City Magistrate order animal control to pick up and hold, pending court proceedings, any dog or cat that law enforcement or regulatory officials show by probable cause poses an immediate threat to public safety.

Owners with a leashed pet outdoors must also pick up its waste under Section 8-39, and no one may release or entice a neighbor's yard-confined dog or cat outside the premises under Section 8-41. Citations for a Section 8-38 violation are issued by Gretna Police or animal control and heard in the Gretna Mayor's Court under Chapter 40, where a magistrate can also order community service in addition to or in place of the shared fine.