Port Orange, FL Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)
Key Facts
- Leash length off-premises
- No more than eight feet
- At-large ban
- Applies to any animal, citywide (§ 10-11(a))
- Max civil penalty
- $500.00 (§ 10-18(b))
- Impound redemption window
- 3 days after notice (§ 10-6(a))
- Officer training requirement
- 40 hours minimum (§ 10-4(a))
Summary
Port Orange requires owners to keep an animal on their own property, physically controlled by a leash no more than eight feet long whenever it is off the premises, under City Code § 10-10(c)(3). Letting any animal run at large anywhere in the city is a separate violation under § 10-11(a), enforced by animal control officers citywide.
(c)The owner of an animal shall exercise reasonable care to maintain such animal off the premises of such owner by:(1)Confinement in a secure enclosure, fence or pen from which the animal cannot dig, climb, jump or escape;(2)Confinement in a vehicle from which the animal cannot climb, jump or escape; or(3)Maintaining physical control by keeping said animal secured at all times on a leash no more than eight feet in length. ... (a)No animal shall be permitted or allowed to run at large. It is a violation of this chapter for the owner of an animal to permit or allow the animal to run at large.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 43 | Land Development Code: Supplement 38).
Full Breakdown
Section 10-10(c) requires an owner to keep an animal off the premises only through one of three approved methods: a secure enclosure, fence or pen the animal cannot dig under, climb over or jump out of; confinement inside a vehicle the animal cannot climb or jump from; or physical control on a leash that is secured at all times and no more than eight feet in length. The same section, subsection (b), imposes a parallel duty for keeping the animal from leaving the owner's own property unattended, requiring a secure enclosure, a chain, cable or trolley tether of sufficient strength, or a leash under a person's physical control.
Section 10-11(a) separately and broadly bans letting any animal run at large anywhere in the city, a rule that does not turn on whether the animal caused harm. 08. Animal control officers, appointed under § 10-4 after completing at least 40 hours of state-mandated training, may seize any animal found running at large under § 10-4(f)(6) and, once impounded under § 10-6, the owner has three days to redeem it before the shelter can dispose of it.
Violations & Fines
Running at large or violating the leash requirement is enforced through the citation process in § 10-17, with a maximum civil penalty of $500.00 under § 10-18(b), reduced if the owner does not contest the citation. Willfully refusing to sign a citation is a second-degree misdemeanor under § 10-18(e), punishable per F.S. §§ 775.082 and 775.083.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can my dog's leash be in Port Orange?
Is it illegal to let my dog run loose in my own yard?
What happens if animal control picks up my loose dog?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Port Orange
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