Rochester Hills, MI Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Section 14-43 states in two operative sentences: no person owning, possessing or harboring a dog 'shall permit the dog to run at large in the city,' and no dog may be on a highway, in a public park, in a public building, or in any other public place 'at any time' except when 'held securely by a leash of suitable strength and length and under the reasonable control of the owner thereof or other responsible person or when confined in a shipping receptacle or closed automobile.' Section 14-1 defines 'reasonable control' to mean a secure leash 'in the hands of one able to restrain or move the animal if necessary, so as to enable the attendant to bring the animal to the attendant's side immediately on command'; an enclosed vehicle, container, or the owner's own occupied property also counts as reasonable control.

Section 14-41 declares any dog found in the city 'either without a license or running at large' to be a nuisance, subject to impoundment 'at the direction of a law enforcement officer,' with impoundment governed by Oakland County's rules, regulations and fees. Section 14-44 adds that an owner may not allow a dog, licensed or not, to destroy property or habitually trespass on another's property. Enforcement runs through the Oakland County Sheriff's Office (under contract as the city's law enforcement) and Oakland County Animal Control, per the 'law enforcement officer' definition in § 14-1. Because § 14-43 carries no separate civil-infraction designation, a straight leash-law violation defaults to the general misdemeanor penalty in § 1-16.