Legal Question in Landlord & Tenant Law in California

Dog Leash Law

I'm a renter living in a small

complex with a total of four units.

There are three front yard(s) that

occupy all four units. A fence

separates the yards from the public

street. This fence has a gate for

entry and exit. One of the tenants

has a chihuahua which is a little

over sized (six or seven lbs). This

dog run randomly without a leash

throughout the yards barking loudly

and viciously. I did notice a dog

license on the dog. Is it illegal for

this dog to run among our complex

without a leash ?


Asked on 5/26/09, 12:26 am

1 Answer from Attorneys
George Shers Law Offices of Georges H. Shers

Re: Dog Leash Law

If I understand you correctly, all four units share the three front yards. So the dog is on private property that his owner is allowed to use. If the yards are in fact separate and only one unit is allowed to use a certain front yard, then your concern is that the dog is trespassing and not whether it is on a leash. If the dog is acting as a public nuisance by barking too much, that is another legal issue. But if it is on land that its owner is allowed to use, then uless your locality has a special leash law, a dog does not have to be on a leash while it is on private property. The owner of the building can act however if the dog is breaking the terms of the lease; speak to the building owner if you can not get the dog owner to co-operate.

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Answered on 5/26/09, 2:48 am


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