San Diego County, CA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

The County's dog-restraint rules are in San Diego County Code section 62.669, enforced by the County Department of Animal Services in the unincorporated area. An owner, custodian or person controlling a dog must prevent it from being 'at large.' On private property the dog must be leashed or tethered, under direct and effective voice or electronic-containment control, or confined in an adequate building or enclosure. The Code (section 62.602(aa)) defines a 'leash' as a rope, strap, chain or other material six feet or less in length intended to be held in a person's hand. A dog is not considered leashed if the leash is not in the hand of a person capable of controlling it, or the person is not actually controlling the dog. Limited exceptions allow a dog off-leash when under direct and effective voice control while legally hunting, legally herding livestock, or on public property with the written permission of the agency that regulates that property (section 62.669(b)). The section does not apply to law-enforcement dogs on duty. Separately, section 62.669.1 requires owners to use ordinary care to keep a dog from attacking or injuring people, and section 62.670 requires owners to remove dog feces and not let a dog defecate or urinate on others' property. Off-leash dog areas exist only where the controlling public agency has given written permission.