Tulare Municipal Code § 6.12.310 prohibits any dog from straying off the owner's property unless restrained by a leash or lead not exceeding eight feet. Off-leash dogs are 'at large' and subject to impoundment. Narrow exceptions cover peace-officer/SAR dogs, sanctioned obedience or competition events, livestock-herding dogs working ranch operations (a Central Valley ag-area carve-out), hunters' dogs while hunting, and dogs inside a designated leash-free park or enclosure. The 8-foot cap matches the typical California standard and is shorter than retractable leashes set beyond 8 feet, which technically violate the code.
TMC § 6.12.310 states that 'no person shall permit a dog to stray from private property owned or legally possessed by the dog owner or custodian unless the dog is restrained by a leash or lead not exceeding eight feet in length.' Enforcement is handled by Tulare Police Animal Services (411 E. Kern Ave.). Dogs found at large can be impounded; owners must pay impound, board, and license fees to redeem. Tulare also requires current rabies vaccination and a city license under §§ 6.12.100 and following. State law (Cal. Food & Ag. Code § 30951) separately requires all dogs over four months to be licensed. Public parks in Tulare default to on-leash unless specifically posted as a leash-free zone; check with Parks & Recreation before allowing off-leash play.
Allowing a dog at large is an infraction under TMC § 6.12.310 and can also be charged under the general animal-ordinance penalty provisions of Chapter 6.12. Animal Services may impound the dog; owners owe impound, daily boarding, and any veterinary/rabies-quarantine costs in addition to the citation fine. Repeat at-large violations or bites can escalate to a 'potentially dangerous' or 'vicious' dog designation under Cal. Food & Ag. Code §§ 31602–31683, which Tulare enforces locally.
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