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

Yucaipa Municipal Code § 12.04.070 bars any animal from a city recreational facility unless an exception applies. For dogs and cats the exception is a leash, cord or chain not more than six feet long, or confinement within the interior of a vehicle. Dogs are also allowed in areas the city specifically designates and posts as dog parks or off-leash dog areas, subject to the rules for those areas. The list of other exceptions covers horses on bridle paths or other designated trails, animals under the control of law enforcement or emergency personnel, service animals trained to assist a person with a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act, small pets always kept on the person of the possessor, and animals authorized by special permit for specific events.

The definition of recreational facility is broad. It reaches public parks, playgrounds, open spaces, trails, sports fields, dog parks, picnic areas, community centers and the parking areas and buildings inside those spaces, so the six-foot limit applies on park trails and parking lots as well as lawns.

Pick-up duty is separate. Section 12.04.080 makes it the mandatory duty of anyone responsible for a dog, cat or horse in a city park to promptly collect and remove all fecal matter, except for guide dogs for blind or disabled persons, and the community services director must post signs explaining the duty and the penalties.

Outside the parks, Chapter 6.04 governs. Section 6.04.010 applies the animal rules at all times anywhere in the City of Yucaipa that animals are found. Section 6.04.020 adopts Title 3, Division 2 (Animals) of the San Bernardino County Code by reference as the city's animal regulations. Section 6.04.030 designates the County of San Bernardino as the enforcement agency, and anyone authorized to enforce the Yucaipa Municipal Code under Chapter 1.12 can also enforce the animal title. The county text itself is not reproduced in the Yucaipa code, so the county's leash wording has to be read in the county code.