Ventura County, CA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Animal control in the unincorporated areas of Ventura County is governed by Chapter 4 (Animals) of Division 4 (Public Health) of the Ventura County Ordinance Code, enforced by Ventura County Animal Services (VCAS), not the City of Ventura. Under the Article 5 animal control rules, it is unlawful to permit any dog owned, harbored, or controlled by a person to be on any public street, alley, lane, park, or place of whatever nature open to and used by the public in the unincorporated areas of the County, or in any common area, unless the dog is securely leashed and the leash is held continuously in the hands of a responsible person capable of controlling the dog. Section 4466 (Animals on public beaches, sidewalks, parks, school grounds or County property) further prohibits dogs on public beaches adjacent to the ocean except properly identified assistance/service dogs, and requires any person with custody of an animal to promptly pick up and remove the animal's feces from public beaches, sidewalks, parks, school grounds, and County property. Owners who fail to license and vaccinate a dog, or who let a dog run at large, may be issued an administrative citation. These leash rules apply only in unincorporated areas; the County's incorporated cities (Ventura, Oxnard, Simi Valley, etc.) have their own municipal codes.