Mason County, WA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

MCC 4.08.050(a) makes it unlawful for an owner or keeper to negligently allow an animal to trespass onto another's private property without permission, or to let the animal run at large onto public property or the public right-of-way anywhere in the county. The animal control authority or any commissioned law enforcement officer can cite the owner on probable cause, and a violation proven by a preponderance of the evidence carries a $250 civil infraction under subsection (a)(2). The law escalates further under subsection (b): if the owner knowingly lets the animal run at large while it poses a potential threat of substantial bodily injury or property damage, that is a misdemeanor punishable by up to ninety days in the county jail, a fine of up to $1,000 plus statutory assessments, or both, and the animal may be impounded.

On county parks, county-owned real property and property held in trust, MCC 9.44.100(a) is more specific: no one may bring a dog onto the property unless it is controlled by a hand-held leash no longer than six feet, the dog may not be tied and abandoned, and it must stay under the handler's personal control at all times, with an exception for service dogs assisting the disabled. Violations of Chapter 9.44's park rules are charged as second-degree trespass, a misdemeanor under RCW 9A.52.080, per MCC 9.44.110(b).