Novi, MI Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Section 5-4 of the Novi City Code bars a dog from being on a public highway or street, in a public park, in a public building, or in any other place to which the public is generally invited, unless one of two conditions is met: the dog is restrained by its owner or another responsible person (or confined in a shipping receptacle, a vehicle, or on the grounds of a licensed dog training facility or dog park), and the dog has been immunized against rabies.

The section expressly permits an owner to transport an unrestrained dog to a veterinarian's office for immunization without violating the rule. Section 5-5 separately makes it unlawful for the owner of any animal, a category that includes dogs, to allow it to run at large or to enter another person's private property without permission, closing the gap for a leashed dog that slips its owner on a walk. Chapter 5's general penalty section, 5-3, treats a violation of either provision as a municipal civil infraction rather than a criminal misdemeanor, carrying an escalating fine schedule: seven hundred fifty dollars for a first offense, fifteen hundred dollars for a second, and three thousand dollars for a third or subsequent offense within the ordinance's look-back period.

An owner found responsible also owes any impound fees the city incurs. The Novi Police Department, whose animal control function covers dog complaints, and the city's code compliance officials enforce Chapter 5, and a court may additionally grant injunctive relief to stop repeated violations.