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

Snohomish County's primary leash authority is Chapter 9.14 SCC ('Dog Leash Law'). SCC 9.14.030 makes it unlawful for any dog to be off the property of its owner unless under the control of a responsible individual; 'under control' means the dog is restrained by a secure leash or other restraint not more than eight feet in length, and the person holding the leash is capable of physically restricting the animal. Chapter 9.01 SCC sets general definitions including 'running at large,' which means the animal is off the owner's premises and not under control. Livestock - including horses, mules, donkeys, cattle, goats, sheep, and swine - is prohibited from running at large anywhere in Snohomish County. State law at RCW 9.91.025 makes unlawful transit of animals at large a misdemeanor on certain public properties; RCW 16.08 governs dangerous and potentially dangerous dogs (bite and serious-injury thresholds), and SCC 9.20 provides the county dangerous-dog code that mirrors and supplements state law. Dogs in designated off-leash dog parks (such as Strawberry Fields in Marysville and Willis Tucker Off-Leash Area in Snohomish) are exempt from the 8-foot leash requirement while inside the fenced off-leash area. Snohomish County Animal Services investigates leash-law and at-large complaints, dog bites, nuisance and barking dogs, livestock at large, and dangerous-dog declarations; the office is at 3000 Rockefeller Ave, Everett (425.388.3440), Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Cities (Everett, Lynnwood, Marysville, Edmonds) enforce their own animal codes within incorporated limits, and most have a similar 8-foot leash standard.