Lafayette Parish, LA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

LCG Code Chapter 10, Article III, Division 3 covers dogs, cats, and rabies control in the City of Lafayette and the unincorporated areas of Lafayette Parish. Sec. 10-121 (Running at Large) is the leash-law backbone: no dog may be allowed to run at large whether tagged or untagged, whether on private or public property, except where the private property is the dog owner's and is enclosed in a way that precludes the animal's escape. Properly licensed and currently rabies-vaccinated dogs may be outside an enclosure when under a secure leash and accompanied by their owner or keeper, but they may not trespass on public or private property of others. Designated dog parks and off-leash areas are exempt. The chapter also requires current rabies vaccination and a parish license tag for dogs over a set age. State law layers on top: La. R.S. 3:2771 prohibits any person from permitting a dog in their possession to run at large on unenclosed land or to trespass on others' enclosed or unenclosed land, and La. R.S. 3:2772 establishes liability for damage caused by dogs running at large. Animal Legal & Historical Center summaries describe the typical Louisiana parish standard - dogs must be confined, on a chain or tether keeping them on the owner's property, or on a leash no longer than six feet - and Lafayette's ordinance is consistent with that framework. Enforcement is handled by Lafayette Animal Shelter & Care Center officers and by the Lafayette Police Department or Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office. Cities within the parish that have not consolidated (Broussard, Carencro, Scott, Youngsville, Duson) may have their own animal-control ordinances inside their limits.