Livermore, CA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

140(A) is Livermore's core leash law: no dog owner may let their dog be or run at large in any public place, or on private property other than their own, without the property owner's prior consent, unless the dog is securely restrained on a substantial leash no more than six feet long and kept under the charge and control of a person competent to manage it. The code allows a retractable leash, but caps its extended length at six feet whenever other people are present, and defines a 'substantial' leash as one strong enough to hold the dog when it pulls with full strength.

The single carved-out exception is a fenced dog park approved by the city, where dogs may run leash-free. Subsection B adds a separate duty for female dogs in heat: the owner must confine her in a secure enclosure to keep other dogs from being drawn to the property. 170, in the same chapter, back the leash rule up: the animal control officer must take up and impound any dog found running at large, animals being transported by vehicle must be secured by a restraint sturdy enough to prevent escape, and any tether used to restrain a dog must be at least four times the dog's nose-to-tail length and positioned so it cannot become entangled while still letting the dog reach food, water and shelter. 120 exempts police department dogs and certified search-and-rescue dogs from the leash requirement while they are working.