San Ramon, CA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Municipal Code § B5-27(D)
- Leash rule
- Required at all times in parks
- Waste duty
- Immediate removal on streets, parks
- Penalty
- Infraction, fine per § B5-32
- Enforcement
- Parks and Community Services Dept.
- Unleash exception
- Director-designated training areas only
- Countywide control
- Contra Costa Animal Services, § B2-1
Summary
San Ramon requires every dog, cat, or other animal brought into a city park facility to stay leashed and under an owner's full control at all times, per Municipal Code Section B5-27(D). Dog owners must also immediately remove and dispose of their dog's waste from any public street, sidewalk, park, or parkway. Violations are infractions punishable by fine under Section B5-32.
No person shall: ... D. Bring into or maintain in or upon any park facility any dog, cat or other animal unless such animal at all times is kept on a leash and under full control of its owner or custodian; provided, however, the director may designate areas and times within which persons may show, demonstrate or train unleashed animals under full control of their owners or custodians; ... G. No person owning or having custody or control of any dog shall permit such dog to defecate on any public street, sidewalk, park or parkway without immediately removing the resulting excrement. Persons shall have in their possession the capability to properly dispose of such excrement at the time of occurrence.
Full Breakdown
Section B5-27 of the Municipal Code, part of Division B5's park use regulations, bars anyone from bringing or keeping a dog, cat, or other animal in or upon any park facility unless it is kept on a leash and under the full control of its owner or custodian at all times. The only carve-out is that the parks director may designate specific areas and times where owners can show, demonstrate, or train unleashed animals under full control. The same section separately requires anyone owning or having custody of a dog to immediately remove any excrement the dog leaves on a public street, sidewalk, park, or parkway, and to carry the means to do so before the dog is even out; disposal must go into a public refuse receptacle, not just anywhere.
Seeing-Eye dogs are exempt from the waste-removal duty. 5 for misdemeanor violations they witness inside a park, parkway, or recreation area. Outside park boundaries, general animal control, licensing, and stray pickup are handled separately: Municipal Code Section B2-1 adopts Division 416 of the Contra Costa County Code and contracts enforcement to the Contra Costa County Animal Services Department rather than city staff.
Violations & Fines
Under Section B5-32, violating the leash or waste-removal duty in B5-27 is an infraction punishable by a fine, and each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense. The parks director may also revoke any related permit and can have violators ejected from a park facility for breaking these rules, independent of any citation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to keep my dog on a leash in San Ramon parks?
Are there any off-leash exceptions in San Ramon parks?
What happens if I don't pick up after my dog?
Does the city or the county enforce San Ramon's leash law?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Ramon
California rules heatmap·Compare San Ramon to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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Dog Leash Laws in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Contra Costa County handle dog leash laws.