La Mesa, CA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Under Section 8.04.130, no person owning or having care, custody or control of livestock or another domestic animal, other than a cat, may permit it to be at large within the City of La Mesa. The section then adds a specific leash mandate for dogs: no dog may be at large unless it is on a leash attached to a suitable collar, which can include a choke chain, capable of giving its handler immediate and satisfactory control. A private citizen who finds a dog running at large under Section 8.04.140 may capture and hold it but must notify the animal control department within twenty-four hours and surrender the animal on demand, without liability for the dog's injury, escape, or death while in the finder's care.

Dog owners must also prevent their dogs from biting or harassing any lawfully present person under Section 8.04.330, and keep dogs from entering or swimming in any drainage ditch, canal, settling tank or reservoir under Section 8.04.340. The La Mesa Police Department's animal control officer enforces Title 8, and Section 8.04.070 authorizes that officer to issue citations to violators, while Section 8.04.120 allows the officer to impound an at-large dog and hold it pending owner notification rather than making an immediate arrest.