Southaven, MS Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Sec. 3-17(a) makes it unlawful for the owner of any animal to permit it to run at large within the corporate limits of the city, and Sec. 3-1 defines running at large as any animal not under restraint. The definition of restraint is the working leash rule. Away from the property where the owner resides, restraint means the owner or a responsible party is present and the animal is secured by a leash or lead of less than six (6) feet. At home, restraint means the animal is contained within the fenced real property limits of the property where its owner resides, or is tethered within those real property limits. An animal outside all three conditions is at large.

Tethering carries its own limits in Sec. 3-15(a)(1). The restraint must always allow the animal to reach food, water and shelter within the owner's real property, it must not cause harm to the animal's neck or head, and it cannot be a long-term or permanent condition of keeping the animal. Sec. 3-15(h) keeps animals under an individual's control off city-owned property where large crowds gather for an event, including all sports fields and complexes, indoor arenas or meeting rooms and outdoor event arenas. Neighborhood or other public park facilities intended strictly for walking or similar exercise, or for generalized recreation such as playgrounds, fall outside that prohibition. Sec. 3-15(c) requires owners to remove fecal matter their animals leave on public walks, streets, recreation areas or the private property of another.

A vicious dog faces a stricter rule under Sec. 3-14(b): it cannot leave its owner's premises unless securely leashed and muzzled, and it cannot be leashed to inanimate objects such as trees or buildings.

Sec. 3-2(a) assigns enforcement to the division of animal control and the city police department. Sec. 3-22(a) directs police or animal control officers to take an unrestrained dog and impound it in the city shelter, where it is kept at least five (5) days unless the owner claims it sooner. The owner pays an impoundment fee approved by the mayor, plus any veterinary costs, before release. A dog not reclaimed within five (5) working days becomes the property of the city.