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

Palm Springs requires dogs in public spaces to be on a physical leash under six feet long, held by a person able to control the dog, under PSMC Chapter 10.80. This applies on city sidewalks, trails, beaches of Lake Cahuilla, shopping centers, restaurant patios allowing dogs, and all other public areas. Retractable leashes are permitted only when locked at six feet or less. Voice control does not substitute for a physical leash outside designated off-leash areas. Palm Springs Dog Park (originally at Sunrise Park and the larger location at El Mirador) is the primary designated off-leash area where dogs may play untethered within the fenced enclosure. Hiking trails including Indian Canyons, Tahquitz Canyon, and the Museum Trail up Mount San Jacinto require leashes at all times, and dogs may be prohibited entirely in some tribal-owned trails and state park lands (Mount San Jacinto State Park prohibits dogs on trails). Owners must carry bags and immediately remove dog waste; failure to clean up is citable. Dogs must also wear a current Riverside County license tag and rabies vaccination tag. Off-leash or unattended dogs may be impounded; owners reclaim at the Coachella Valley Animal Campus in Thousand Palms with proof of vaccination, license, and payment of boarding fees. Repeated at-large incidents support potentially-dangerous dog proceedings. Aggressive dogs, regardless of leash, must be muzzled in public. Service dogs protected under the ADA are exempt from leash requirements only where a leash would interfere with the task being performed.