Hackensack, NJ Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)
Key Facts
- Leash length limit
- 8 feet (§52-15C)
- Alternative
- Muzzle required if unleashed in public
- License tag
- Must show on collar/harness off-premises (§52-15D)
- Enforced by
- Police Department (§52-14)
- Default fine
- Up to $2,000 (§1-15)
Summary
Dogs off their owner's property in Hackensack must be muzzled or kept on a leash no longer than eight feet under Section 52-15C. The Health Officer can also designate additional muzzling periods by newspaper publication, and every dog off-premises must wear its license tag on a collar or harness.
C. No person owning, keeping or harboring any dog shall suffer or permit it to run upon any public street or in any public park or in any public building or in any other public place within the city unless such dog is muzzled or unless such dog is controlled by an adequate leash not more than eight feet long. The Health Officer may, by rule, regulation or resolution, also designate other times during which dogs off the premises of the owner or person harboring them shall be muzzled, such designation to be by publication in a newspaper circulating in the city, and, after such publication, no person owning, keeping or harboring a dog shall permit it upon any public street, public place or outside the premises occupied by the owner unless such dog wears a muzzle securely fastened over its jaws in such a manner that it cannot bite.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4592721; v20 updated 2026-01-06; through 01-06-2026).
Full Breakdown
Section 52-15C bars any dog from running loose on a public street, public park, public building, or any other public place within Hackensack unless it is muzzled or controlled by an adequate leash of no more than eight feet. The Health Officer holds additional authority to designate other periods during which dogs off their owner's premises must be muzzled, by publishing the designation in a newspaper circulating in the city; once published, any dog outside the owner's premises during those periods must wear a muzzle securely fastened so it cannot bite.
Section 52-15D requires every dog to wear a collar or harness bearing its license tag whenever it is off the owner's premises. Section 52-15B separately bars owners from knowingly or negligently allowing a dog to commit a nuisance on a sidewalk, street, crosswalk, public building, park, or playground, and requires the owner to take reasonable precautions to prevent it. Section 52-15G adds a citywide pooper-scooper duty: owners must immediately remove and sanitarily dispose of any feces their dog deposits on public or private property, with a narrow curbing allowance between street curblines and an exception for guide dogs used by blind persons.
All of Article II is enforced by the Police Department under Section 52-14, and dogs found running at large, whether licensed or not, are subject to impoundment by the Health Officer under Section 52-16.
Violations & Fines
Article II carries no dedicated penalty clause for the leash requirement, so a violation is punished under the Section 1-15 citywide default: a fine up to $2,000, imprisonment up to 90 days, or community service up to 90 days, with each continuing day a separate offense. A loose dog is also subject to impoundment and a $4-per-day reclaim fee.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can my dog's leash be in public in Hackensack?
Can the city require muzzling even with a leash?
Does my dog need to wear its license tag on walks?
What happens if my dog is caught running loose?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hackensack
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