San Bernardino County, CA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- County Code § 32.0108(c)
- Leash requirement
- Leash plus competent handler, or enclosed carrier
- Minimum impound hold
- 96 hours
- First-offense fine
- Up to $100
- Third-offense penalty
- Up to $500 or misdemeanor
- Enforced by
- Health Officer, Animal Control, or Sheriff
Summary
Dogs may not leave their owner's property in unincorporated San Bernardino County unless leashed and controlled by a competent handler, or confined in a vehicle or carrier, under County Code § 32.0108(c). Loose dogs can be impounded for at least 96 hours, and owners pay a reclaiming fee set by the County fee schedule.
§ 32.0108 Control of Animals. (a) Except as to community cats returned and released to their point of pick-up as part of a TNVR program, no person owning or having control of any animal shall permit such animal to stray, to run at large upon any private or public street, sidewalk, school ground, public park, playground, place of public assembly or any other public place or upon any unenclosed private lot or other unenclosed private place or upon any private property without the consent of the owner or person in control thereof. (c) No person may lawfully bring his or her dog out of his or her property unless: (1) The dog is restrained by a leash and is in the charge of a person competent to restrain the dog; or (2) The dog is properly restrained and enclosed in a vehicle, cage or similar enclosure. (d) Any dog found running at large, running loose or unrestrained may be impounded by the Health Officer, Animal Control Officer, or Sheriff for a period of not less than 96 hours. Any unclaimed dogs shall then be destroyed or disposed of in accordance with § 32.0103 of this Code. (e) There shall be a reclaiming fee for all impounded dogs, as set forth in the San Bernardino County Code Schedule of Fees.
Full Breakdown
0108, Control of Animals, is the County's core leash and at-large law. Subsection (a) bars any owner or keeper from letting an animal stray or run at large on any public street, sidewalk, school ground, park, playground, place of public assembly, or unenclosed private lot, and even treats the parkway strip between street and sidewalk as private property for this purpose; the only carve-out is for community cats returned to their pick-up point under a trap-neuter-vaccinate-return program. Subsection (b) lets a finder who takes in a stray hold it, but only if the Health Officer, Animal Control Officer, or Sheriff is notified within four hours and the animal is surrendered on demand.
Subsection (c) is the specific leash mandate: a dog may not leave its owner's property unless restrained by a leash in the charge of a person competent to control it, or enclosed in a vehicle, cage, or similar container. 0103. Subsection (e) sets a reclaiming fee under the County Schedule of Fees, and subsection (f) separately makes it unlawful to let a dog defecate or urinate on public sidewalks, common apartment halls, entryways, or the floors of businesses open to the public. 0126.
Violations & Fines
Running a dog off-leash and off-property is a public offense enforceable by the Health Officer, Animal Control Officer, or Sheriff. A first offense is an infraction punishable by a fine up to $100, a second within a year up to $200, and a third or later offense within a year up to $500 as an infraction or, if charged as a misdemeanor, up to six months in jail and a fine up to $1,000 under § 32.0124. Impounded dogs are held at least 96 hours before an unclaimed animal is destroyed, and a reclaiming fee applies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a fenced backyard satisfy the leash law in unincorporated San Bernardino County?
How long is a loose dog held before it can be destroyed?
Can I keep a stray dog I find instead of turning it in?
What is the fine for a first at-large dog violation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in San Bernardino County
California rules heatmap·Compare San Bernardino County to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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