McLean County, IL Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Article III of Chapter 165, Section 165-7, makes it unlawful for any person to permit a dog to run at large in any unincorporated area of this County which has been subdivided for residence purposes. The ban is territorially limited: it reaches only unincorporated land inside a recorded subdivision plat, defined in Section 165-1 as land for which a subdivision plat has been recorded in the Office of the County Recorder of McLean County. Bloomington and Normal enforce their own leash rules inside city limits; this county provision governs the unincorporated subdivisions around them.

Any dog caught running loose in a covered area may be apprehended and impounded by authorized personnel of the Animal Control Center or any Illinois law enforcement officer. , and the Sheriff, Sheriff's deputies, and any Illinois officer share enforcement power under Section 165-8. Complaints can be sworn out by the Administrator, the State's Attorney, or any county resident under Section 165-11. A dog picked up running at large is held under the reclamation process of Sections 165-16 and 165-17: the owner gets at least seven business days' notice before the dog can be adopted out or, if the owner is unknown, before it may be euthanized after a three-day hold.