San Jacinto, CA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

The containment rule is part of the maintenance and operational standards in § 17.430.050.C, which apply to all animal keeping in the City of San Jacinto and sit alongside the requirements of Titles 6 and 8 of the Municipal Code. Subsection C.2 says animals shall be effectively contained on the site and shall not be allowed to run at large on public or private property owned by another without the written permission of the property owner.

For dogs, subsection C.2.a is specific. A dog is kept exclusively upon the premises, confined by means of a lawful fence. The code defines a lawful fence as any barrier or other structure sufficiently strong and durable to securely enclose the animal or animals intended to be kept. A dog can be off the premises only if it is under the restraint of a competent person and restrained by a leash, and subsection C.2.a prints no leash length. Subsection C.2.b separately requires owners to securely confine female dogs while in season (estrus) within an enclosure in a manner that prevents the attraction of male dogs to the immediate vicinity.

Title 6 supplies the rest of the City's animal control framework. Section 6.04.010 adopts Title 6 (Animals) of the Riverside County Code, as amended and in effect on May 7, 2024, as the animal control ordinance of the City of San Jacinto, and a copy is kept in the office of the city clerk. Any further leash and licensing rules sit in that county text, which the City Code does not reprint. Under § 6.04.020 the county of Riverside department of animal services is the Department.

Section 6.04.030 adds an animal care rule on dog waste: no person lets a dog in his or her custody defecate or urinate on property other than that of the owner or person having control of the dog, and the person must curb the dog and immediately remove all feces to a proper receptacle. A legally blind person relying on a guide dog is exempt. The same section covers animals left in unattended vehicles without adequate ventilation or in extreme temperatures, and the owner is responsible for all costs of treatment if the animal is removed.