Waukegan, IL Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Section 4-41(a) requires an owner to keep a pet under restraint and makes it unlawful to let the pet cross outside the owner's property line, including reaching through, over, or under a fence, or to be outdoors on an unfenced portion of the property unless leashed and controlled by the owner or a responsible person at least 16 years old. A fence counts for restraint purposes only if it's tall enough or otherwise designed to keep the specific animal from jumping or reaching over it; simply being inside a low or gappy fence doesn't satisfy the section.

The rule also separately bans letting a pet attack, bite, threaten, or jump on anyone without consent, except in proportionate self-defense. The only exemption is a dog being used for rescue or law enforcement work. Subsection (b) declares any dog or cat running at large a public nuisance subject to apprehension and impoundment by any police officer or animal control officer. 00 for a third or later violation, each charged to the owner before the animal is released. Beyond the fee, a second or later at-large violation triggers a mandatory spay-or-neuter requirement within 30 days of reclaiming the animal if it isn't already fixed, and failure to comply results in the animal being impounded again.