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

Stanislaus County Code Chapter 7.16 (Animal Control) governs how animals must be controlled in the unincorporated area. Section 7.16.010 states that no owner of any animal, wild or domestic, except the domestic cat, shall permit the animal to be off a leash or restrained by a leash more than eight feet in length, except that an animal need not be on a leash while on the premises of its owner or on other private property with the consent of the owner, lessee or tenant. The same section bars animals from entering private property without the consent of the owner, lessee or tenant. The Code also addresses nuisance behavior: an animal may not habitually make loud noises or otherwise act so as to constitute a public nuisance (Section 7.16.020 treats noise audible continuously for ten minutes, or intermittently for thirty minutes, as evidence of a nuisance). Stanislaus Animal Services Agency (SASA), reachable at 209-558-PETS, enforces these rules in unincorporated areas; incorporated cities may have their own leash rules. Separately, California Civil Code Section 3342 makes a dog owner strictly liable for bites that occur in public places or where a person is lawfully present, regardless of the dog's prior history. Off-leash violations can lead to impoundment and citation.