Oyster Bay, NY Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Town of Oyster Bay Code § 103-2, amended September 17, 2019 by Local Law No. 7-2019, bars any person owning or having custody of a dog from allowing it off the owner's premises unless restrained by an adequate leash, defined in the section as six feet or less, and kept under the immediate and full control of the owner or handler. An exception applies if the dog is unrestrained on someone else's property with that property owner's knowledge and consent. The same section separately regulates outdoor tethering: no one may tether, chain, or otherwise secure a dog to a stationary object outdoors for more than two hours within any continuous twelve-hour period, and anyone who does tether a dog must supply adequate food, water, and shelter (waived only for tethers of 15 minutes or less) and use a swivel-ended device sized for the dog.

The code then bans specific tethering equipment outright, regardless of duration: choke or pinch collars that restrict breathing, devices that can embed in the skin, anything weighing more than one-eighth of the dog's body weight (10-pound cap), running cables under 10 feet, stationary tethers under 15 feet, and any tether long enough to let the dog leave the owner's property. Dogs under six months old may never be tethered, only one dog may be secured per device, and tethered dogs cannot be taunted, hit, or harassed.

The Animal Control Officer, Assistant Animal Control Officers, or any peace officer may seize a dog found off the owner's premises without a leash and under control, per § 103-3, and the section preserves enforcement authority for the ASPCA, the Nassau County SPCA, and other law enforcement over general humane-treatment laws.