Medford, MA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Section 6-38 of the Medford Revised Ordinances makes it unlawful for a dog's owner or custodian to let the animal run loose or be at large within the city. Any dog found anywhere other than the owner's own premises is deemed at large under the ordinance, so a violation does not require the dog to be running: simple presence off the property is enough. The only permitted method of control is a chain or leash no longer than six feet; a dog riding in a vehicle or boat is treated as under its owner's personal control instead.

When the dog officer or a police officer catches a dog at large under Sec. 6-39, the city serves the owner a citation in hand, by leaving it at the owner's last usual address, or by certified and regular mail, stating the violation, the time and place, and that the matter will go to district court for prosecution under M.G.L. c. 140, § 173A. The dog is taken to the city's contracted kennel. Under Sec. 6-40, the kennel must hold the dog for up to ten days; if the owner does not claim it within that period, the dog becomes the kennel owner's property to sell or destroy at the kennel owner's expense.

No dog held under this article may ever be sold or delivered to any person or organization intending to use it for vivisection. Section 6-41 sets escalating fines for at-large violations, and the dog officer must report the volume of complaints and dog bite investigations to the mayor quarterly under Sec. 6-42.