Scottsdale, AZ Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Section 4-39, adopted under Code 1972 § 4-108 and last amended by Ordinance No. 3535 on November 17, 2003, opens by defining a leash as a chain, rope or strap, made of leather, fabric or other material, that is not more than six feet in length, capable of being fastened to a collar or harness of a dog and used to lead, restrain and control the dog, and of sufficient strength for those purposes. Subsection (c) states the core rule: no dog shall be permitted at large, and each dog shall be confined within an enclosure on the owner's property, secured so that the dog is confined entirely to the owner's property, or on a leash not to exceed six feet in length and directly under the owner's physical control when not on the owner's property.

The section carves out four exceptions in subsection (i): a dog on a six-foot leash, a dog used for livestock control, hunting, kennel-club exhibition or Arizona Racing Commission-approved races, a dog in an active obedience class under a trainer's control, or a dog inside a suitable enclosure. Public-park rules layer on top: subsection (k) requires a leash no longer than six feet unless the dog is inside a municipality-designated off-leash exercise area, and even there subsection (l) requires the owner to keep a six-foot leash in hand.

Female dogs in heat and any vicious dog are barred from being at large under subsection (g) with no exception, and no dog may be at large at all inside a declared rabies quarantine area under subsection (h).