Palm Desert, CA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Section 6.28.010 of the Palm Desert Municipal Code is the leash rule for the City of Palm Desert. It bars an owner or keeper from allowing, permitting or suffering a dog to be or run at large in three settings: any public place or premises, any unenclosed private place or premises, and any enclosed private place other than the owner's or keeper's own, unless the person in charge of that place consents. The rule applies whether the dog is licensed or unlicensed. The exception is a dog securely restrained by a substantial leash not exceeding six feet in length and in the charge and control of a person competent to keep it under effective control. An owner's own enclosed premises are not on the list of covered places.

Other rules in Chapter 6.28 shape daily dog handling. Section 6.28.020 requires an owner to clean up a dog's feces immediately and dispose of it in a sanitary manner on public or private property without the owner's consent, and to clean feces from the owner's own property no less than twice a week, disposing of it in an air-tight container that leaves the property no less than once a week. A visually impaired person with a guide dog or signal dog is excused from the pickup duty. Section 6.28.130 makes it unlawful to tether a dog to a stationary object for more than three hours in a 24-hour period, and tethers must be at least 10 feet long.

Enforcement runs through the animal control officer and the county of Riverside shelter. Under § 6.20.010 the officer can impound an animal found running at large. Under § 6.20.020 the officer makes a reasonable effort to notify the owner, and a licensed dog must be kept for 10 days from the date of notice for the owner to claim it. Under § 6.20.050, a dog four months of age or older is not released unless it is licensed, vaccinated and microchipped, and the owner pays impoundment fees set by city council resolution under § 6.20.060. A person who finds a stray must report it to the animal control officer if holding the dog for more than twenty-four hours under § 6.28.030.