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

601(5) as a dog off leash in a public place. The one carved-out exception is any park area the city has specifically designated as a "dog park," where off-leash dogs are allowed. The same section bundles in four other prohibited behaviors: letting a dog defecate in a public place without the owner immediately removing the feces, letting a dog chase vehicles or persons, letting a dog scatter garbage, and letting a dog inflict injury on another person or animal, though provocation immediately before the injury is a defense to that last provision.

602(3) also gives the municipal court discretion to impose reasonable restrictions on how the dog is kept, on top of or instead of the fine, to protect public health, safety and welfare, meaning a repeat at-large violation can result in mandated leashing, fencing, or confinement conditions rather than just a monetary penalty. The section was added in its current form by Ordinance No. 2014-140 in 2014, replacing the city's earlier at-large dog provisions, and it is the operative section behind Medford's leash requirement for every public street, sidewalk, and park outside a designated dog park.