Tracy, CA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)
Key Facts
- Core rule
- dog must be enclosed or on a leash, always
- Applies to
- every dog, licensed or unlicensed
- Enforcing agency
- Tracy Police Department
- Impound notice
- within 48 hours if licensed
- Redemption window
- 3 days after notice
- Euthanasia risk
- 5 business days after impoundment
Summary
In Tracy it is unlawful to own, keep, or possess a dog anywhere in the city, licensed or not, unless the dog is kept securely enclosed in a room, pen, or enclosure, or is secured on a leash; the Police Department must impound any dog found loose and unenclosed.
Dogs not allowed at large. Such license shall entitle the owner of the dog for which such license is issued to keep such dog in the City during the term for which the license was issued; provided, however, such owner at all times shall keep such dog securely enclosed in a room, pen, or enclosure or shall keep such dog secured on a leash, and it shall be unlawful for any person at any time to have, own, or possess any dog within the City, whether the dog shall be licensed or not, unless such dog shall be kept so enclosed or on a leash. ... It is hereby made the duty of the Tracy Police Department to take and impound any dog so licensed and registered which may be found in the City, and also to take and impound any dog, whether licensed and registered or not, which may be found in the City if such dog is not enclosed or is not on a leash as provided in this section, or if the owner cannot be located to return the dog.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 69).
Full Breakdown
130(j) ties the leash-or-enclosure duty directly to the dog license itself: a license only entitles the owner to keep the dog in the City if it is, at all times, either securely enclosed or on a leash, and the section separately makes it unlawful for anyone to have, own, or possess a dog in the City, whether licensed or not, unless it is kept enclosed or leashed. Subsection (k) makes it the Tracy Police Department's duty to impound any dog it finds in the City that is not enclosed or leashed, regardless of whether the dog carries a valid license, or any licensed dog found in the City at all.
If an impounded dog is wearing a license tag, the Police Department must give the owner notice within 48 hours, by personal delivery, mail, or posting at the owner's address. The owner then has 3 days from that notice to redeem the dog by paying a redemption fee and boarding fee set by City Council resolution; an owner of an unlicensed dog can redeem it the same way by also purchasing a license at that time. A dog not redeemed within that window may be assigned to a third party who agrees to cover the City's costs, or may be humanely euthanized 5 business days after the impoundment of an unlicensed dog, or 5 business days after proper notice for a licensed one.
230 makes any animal running at large on a public street or trespassing a nuisance on top of this leash duty, though it does not apply to registered community cats.
Violations & Fines
Keeping an unleashed, unenclosed dog anywhere in Tracy is itself unlawful under Section 5.08.130(j), independent of any at-large or nuisance citation. The Police Department impounds the dog under subsection (k), and the owner must pay a City Council-set redemption and boarding fee within 3 days of notice to reclaim it before the dog risks being reassigned or humanely euthanized after 5 business days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I let my dog off-leash in my own front yard in Tracy?
What happens if Tracy Police pick up my loose dog?
How long before an impounded dog can be euthanized in Tracy?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tracy
California rules heatmap·Compare Tracy to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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Dog Leash Laws in Nearby Cities
How other cities in San Joaquin County handle dog leash laws.