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

Section 4-97 governs dogs at large. On public property, streets, sidewalks, alleys, parks, a dog must be restrained by a leash, chain, rope, cord or similar device no more than six feet long and strong enough to control the dog; running loose there is a misdemeanor. On private property, including the owner's own yard, a dog cannot be left at large either: confinement must come from a fence or enclosure of sufficient strength and height to prevent escape, or from being kept inside a house or building.

Tie-outs are expressly prohibited on private property, closing off the common workaround of chaining a dog in the yard. Exceptions exist for police dogs under an officer's or trainer's control, dogs in training classes, dogs being exhibited or trained at kennel club events, dogs racing under Arizona Racing Commission approval, and dogs confined in a city-maintained dog run in a park. When the city enforcement agent impounds a dog caught running at large, it may microchip the dog at the owner's expense before redemption or adoption under Section 4-97(4). The leash requirement traces to a 1989 ordinance amendment and the private-property confinement rule to a 1996 amendment banning tie-outs.