Prince George's County, MD Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Section 3-135(a) defines "at large" to include confining an animal somewhere other than its owner's premises, herding or tying it for grazing in a street, and fastening it to a hydrant, fence, or public shade tree. Subsection (b) declares any animal at large a nuisance and a danger to public health and safety, and (c) holds the owner strictly liable for the violation and for any resulting damage. Subsection (e) lets an Animal Control Officer or police officer pursue an at-large animal onto the unenclosed part of its owner's property, and makes refusing to surrender an animal on demand a misdemeanor punishable by up to $500 or ninety days in jail, on top of any civil penalty the Commission for Animal Control imposes.

Subsection (f) exempts service animals, dogs in designated M-NCPPC exercise areas, dogs in a securely fenced yard with the property owner's permission, and dogs engaged in supervised obedience training or lawful hunting. Subsection (g) specifically states that the common area of an apartment complex, homeowners' association, condominium, or cooperative is not the owner's premises, so a loose dog there is still at large. Subsection (h) caps any leash at ten feet and disqualifies retractable leashes and electronic training collars, while (i) excuses an animal that escapes by accident while its owner is in immediate pursuit.