Wauwatosa, WI Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

020, governing this Milwaukee County, Wisconsin city, requires an owner to confine a dog by a leash, pen or electronic fence to the owner's own property at all times; a dog that is not confined is 'on the loose' whether it is on or off the owner's land. When a dog is being walked rather than confined on the property, the leash cannot exceed ten feet and must be held or governed by a person competent to handle the dog. The same section requires all screens, windows and doors of the owner's home to be kept secure enough to prevent the dog from escaping.

An owner who lets a dog off leash and unconfined risks the broader 'at large' prohibition in the same section: no dog may run at large or be abandoned on public or private property, and any person, not just an officer, may seize and impound a dog found running loose. An unlicensed dog is presumed to be at large evidence-wise if it lacks a license tag on its collar, and the impounding officer must notify a known owner within twelve hours, verbally if given to a family member sixteen or older.

Owners also must remove and dispose of their dog's waste immediately when walking off their own property, carrying a bag or scoop for that purpose, and must report to the health or police department any bite, attack or injury the dog is suspected of causing.