Mendocino County, CA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

010(A) of the County Code makes it unlawful for any dog owner, harborer, or keeper to let a dog run at large, roam, or go astray, or to fail to keep the dog under physical control on public or private property without the property owner's permission. On public property, a dog must be restrained on a leash no more than six feet long, held by a person capable of controlling the animal. The County does carve out designated off-leash exercise areas under subsection (A)(3)(a), but dogs there must stay within the boundaries, remain under the owner's control, and carry a current rabies inoculation and license that the owner must produce on request; noisy, vicious, or disruptive dogs can be told to leave.

Lawful hunting, livestock herding, organized field trials, tracking, obedience training and show work, and assistance dogs performing duties are excepted from the leash rule under subsection (A)(3)(b), provided the dog does not trespass, become a nuisance, or endanger public safety. Owners must also immediately clean up after a dog that defecates on public property, with an exception for dogs assisting visually handicapped owners. A dog that is unlicensed, left unrestrained without an adequate fence or enclosure, or kept as a registered vicious or potentially dangerous animal without an annual Animal Care Services permit is separately in violation of subsections (A)(5) through (A)(8). 24.