Rio Rancho requires every animal to be confined to the owner's premises. Off the property, an animal must be on a leash no more than eight feet long and under the owner's control. Running at large is prohibited. Dogs may be off-leash only inside a designated city dog park.
Under Section 90.18 of the Rio Rancho Municipal Code (Chapter 90, Animals), all persons owning or having charge, custody, or control of any animal must keep the animal confined to their own premises. When an animal is off the premises, it 'must be under leash of not more than eight feet in length and under control of the owner or of his designee.' An owner actively training an animal for the long recall may use a longer leash during the training session if control is maintained. No person may intentionally or unintentionally allow an animal to run at large. These leash and at-large provisions do not apply to dogs under their owner's supervision inside a designated city dog park. Section 90.18 also restricts chaining or tethering: fixed-point attended restraint requires shade, water, a plastic-coated cable (no metal chain), a harness, and a tether at least three times the animal's nose-to-tail length, and unattended fixed-point restraint is limited to under 15 minutes per period. Owners must also immediately remove and dispose of any waste their animal leaves off their own property.
Leash and at-large violations under Section 90.18 are enforced under the Chapter 90 penalty schedule (Section 90.99): a minimum $35 fine for a first offense, $75 for a second, $125 for a third, and $250 to $500 (and up to 90 days in jail, plus possible seizure of the animal) for a fourth or subsequent offense.
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See how Rio Rancho's dog leash laws rules stack up against other locations.
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