Del Norte County, CA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Del Norte County adopted a Revised Animal Control Ordinance in 2019 (Ordinance No. 2019-___) that became Title 8 (Animals) of the County Code and applies to the unincorporated area of the county. Within Title 8, Chapter 2 (Dogs and other Pets), the 'Leash Law' section makes it unlawful for the owner or keeper of a dog to allow the dog to be unleashed or unattended in any public area not designated for unleashed dogs, on any public road, or on any private road over which the dog owner does not have a right of possession. The same section makes it unlawful to allow a dog to trespass on private property. A dog found unleashed in violation is subject to immediate seizure and impoundment, and a dog that strays from but returns to its owner's private property may instead be issued a citation. The ordinance is enforced by Del Norte County Animal Services (the Agricultural Commissioner serves as ex officio Director of Animal Control), which investigates loose and nuisance-dog complaints and impounds stray dogs. The County Code does not publish a specific maximum leash length. Note these rules govern the unincorporated county; Crescent City has its own separate city ordinances.