Hoboken, NJ Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 93-20
- Max leash length
- 6 feet
- Waterfront Walkway
- paved areas only
- Exempt
- guide dogs, City dog runs
- Max fine
- $1,000 per offense
- Impoundment authority
- § 93-11A(3)
Summary
In the City of Hoboken, Code § 93-20 makes it unlawful to let a dog onto any sidewalk, public street, City park, walkway or public building unless the dog is with its owner and controlled by an adequate leash no longer than six feet, except inside a designated City dog run. The Waterfront Walkway allows dogs only on paved sections, still on that same six-foot leash, and guide dogs are exempt from the whole section.
A. No person owning, keeping or harboring a dog shall suffer or permit it to be upon the sidewalk, public streets, City parks, walkways, public building or public place, within the City of Hoboken, unless the dog is accompanied by its owner or keeper and is safely confined and controlled by an adequate leash not more than six feet long, except if the dog is in a City dog run. ... B. Dogs shall be permitted only upon the paved areas of the Designated Waterfront Walkway, so long as the dog is safely confined and controlled by an adequate leash of no more than six feet long. No dog shall be permitted on any grass, gravel or other unpaved area of the Designated Waterfront Walkway.
Full Breakdown
Hoboken's leash requirement is § 93-20 of Chapter 93, Dogs and Other Animals, added in 1994 and last amended in 2000 by Ord. No. R-469. Subsection A bars any owner, keeper or harborer of a dog from letting it onto a sidewalk, public street, City park, walkway, public building or other public place unless the dog is accompanied by its owner or keeper and safely confined and controlled by an adequate leash of no more than six feet, with the sole exception of a City dog run.
Subsection B extends the same six-foot rule specifically to the Designated Waterfront Walkway, limiting dogs to its paved areas and barring them from any grass, gravel or unpaved section of that walkway. Subsection C exempts guide dogs from the entire section. The leash rule dovetails with § 93-11A(3), which authorizes the Health Officer, an authorized agent or any police officer to seize and impound any dog found off the premises of its owner and not controlled by an adequate leash of no more than six feet.
Chapter 93 also separately bans habitual barking as a nuisance under § 93-19 and requires owners to clean up droppings under § 93-16, but the leash duty itself is enforced by police, sanitation and parks staff under § 93-18 in addition to the Health Officer.
Violations & Fines
A leash violation under § 93-20 carries the standard Chapter 93 penalty: a fine of not more than $1,000, plus community service or imprisonment for up to 90 days, with each day of noncompliance a separate offense under § 93-17A-B. An unleashed dog found at large off its owner's premises may also be seized and impounded under § 93-11A(3) until reclaimed and all detention costs are paid.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hoboken
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Dog Leash Laws in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle dog leash laws.