Whittier, CA Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Section 12.44.040(N) bars permitting any animal owned by, or in the custody or control of, any person, leashed or unleashed, in any city park or portion of a park posted with signs prohibiting animals, with exceptions for guide, signal, and service dogs. The same subsection allows animal shows in any park portion if the parks director first issues a show permit, and it specifically states that dogs on a maximum six-foot leash are allowed on the Whittier Greenway Trail, in Hellman Park, and in Murphy Ranch Park, three of the city's most heavily used trail and park facilities.

Outside the park-specific rule, Whittier adopts Los Angeles County Code Title 10, "Animals," by reference as its animal control ordinance under Section 6.04.020, amended so that every reference to the county or its unincorporated areas is read to include the city of Whittier; copies are kept on file with the city clerk under Section 6.04.030. Where a Title 10 provision conflicts with the Whittier Municipal Code, Section 6.04's conflict-resolution language gives the city code precedence, and violations of Title 10 as adopted are declared a nuisance abatable by the city. Park leash violations fall under the Chapter 12.44 fine schedule in Section 12.44.080.