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

Section 4-11-300 of the San Leandro Municipal Code bars any owner or keeper from allowing a dog, licensed or not, to run at large in any public place or on private property other than the owner's own, unless the owner has the consent of whoever controls that private property. Off the owner's own property, a dog must be restrained by a substantial leash no longer than six feet and kept under the effective charge and control of a competent handler. The chapter carves out one exception: a dog may work off-leash to hunt wild birds or game, or to herd, guard or gather domestic animals or fowl, as long as a competent handler keeps effective control and the dog does not harm or threaten to harm any person or property.

Any dog riding in or on a vehicle counts as being on the operator's premises for purposes of the section. The same chapter requires every dog kept in the city to carry a current rabies vaccination and license tag (Article 2), and if a dog bites a person or another animal, the Health Officer can order it quarantined and confined for 10 days at the owner's expense (§ 4-11-305). Owners must also immediately pick up and carry equipment to remove their dog's feces from public places (§ 4-11-325).

Dogs picked up running at large are impounded; an unlicensed dog can be sold or destroyed if unclaimed after 5 days, and a licensed dog after 7 days from notice to the owner (§§ 4-11-400, 4-11-415).