---
title: Ashcroft dog leash rules and off-leash areas
question: "Where can dogs be off leash in Ashcroft, and what are the leash rules?"
place: Ashcroft, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/ashcroft
category: Pets, animals and wildlife
owner: municipal
owner_body: Village of Ashcroft
sources_read: 2026-11-08
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/ashcroft/dog-leash-rules/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/ashcroft/dog-leash-rules.json"
---

# Ashcroft dog leash rules and off-leash areas

**Question:** Where can dogs be off leash in Ashcroft, and what are the leash rules?

**Short answer:** In Ashcroft, a dog must not be at large: off your property it must be on a leash no longer than 2.0 metres. The Village bylaw sets no off-leash area, and dogs are not allowed in Village parks or cemeteries.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Ashcroft, https://ashcroftbc.ca)  
**Cost:** The Village pages we read do not state a fine for a dog at large.  
**How long:** The rules apply at all times.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Bylaw Enforcement Officer, 236-597-1607
- Email: Bylaw Enforcement, bylaw@ashcroftbc.ca
- Phone: Village Office, 250-453-9161 (Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.)

## Key facts

- **Leash rule:** An owner must not let a dog be at large. A dog is at large when it is off the owner's land or premises and not on a leash, on unfenced land and not securely tethered, not under physical control of its owner or agent, or in the care of someone an Animal Control Officer considers not competent.
  - Source: [Dog Control and Pound Operation Bylaw No. 832, s. 5.1, 5.2](https://ashcroftbc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Dog-Control-and-Pound-Operation-Bylaw-No.-832.pdf)
  - Official wording: "An owner shall not permit, suffer or allow a dog to be at large." … "Elsewhere than on land or premises owned or occupied by the owner and not on a leash, or" … "On unfenced land and not securely tethered" … "Not under the physical control of its owner or owner's agent, or"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Maximum leash length:** The leash may be no more than 2.0 metres (6.6 feet) long, strong enough to restrain the dog, and held by a competent person.
  - Source: [Dog Control and Pound Operation Bylaw No. 832, s. 3 (definition of Leash)](https://ashcroftbc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Dog-Control-and-Pound-Operation-Bylaw-No.-832.pdf)
  - Official wording: "No more than 2.0 metres (6.6 feet) in length, and" … "Securely affixed to an animal, with the other end of the leash held by a competent person."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Off-leash areas:** None set. Ashcroft's Dog Control and Pound Operation Bylaw designates no off-leash area and bans dogs from Village parks instead.
- **Places dogs are not allowed:** Dogs are not allowed in the Chinese or municipal cemeteries or in Village Parks at any time.
  - Source: [Dog Control and Pound Operation Bylaw No. 832, s. 5.7](https://ashcroftbc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Dog-Control-and-Pound-Operation-Bylaw-No.-832.pdf)
  - Official wording: "shall not permit, suffer or allow a dog to be in the Chinese or municipal cemeteries or Village Parks at any time."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Cleaning up:** An owner must immediately remove the dog's excrement from another person's property or any public street, lane, sidewalk or other public or private property and dispose of it in a sanitary manner. A legally blind owner is exempt for a service animal's excrement when not with a sighted person aged 12 or over.
  - Source: [Dog Control and Pound Operation Bylaw No. 832, s. 5.3, 5.4](https://ashcroftbc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Dog-Control-and-Pound-Operation-Bylaw-No.-832.pdf)
  - Official wording: "An owner shall immediately remove any and all of their dog's excrement from another person's property" … "An owner who is legally blind is exempt from section 5.3"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Fine, dog at large or off leash:** Not confirmed. The bylaw and Village pages read do not state a fine for a dog at large.
- **Bylaw:** Dog Control and Pound Operation Bylaw No. 832, 2019
  - Source: [Dog Control and Pound Operation Bylaw No. 832, title](https://ashcroftbc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Dog-Control-and-Pound-Operation-Bylaw-No.-832.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Dog Control and Pound Operation Bylaw No. 832, 2019"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

The [Dog Control and Pound Operation Bylaw No. 832](https://ashcroftbc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Dog-Control-and-Pound-Operation-Bylaw-No.-832.pdf) says an owner must not let a dog be at large. A dog is at large when it is off the owner's land or premises and not on a leash, on unfenced land and not securely tethered, not under the physical control of its owner or agent, or in the care of someone an Animal Control Officer considers not competent.

## Steps

1. Keep your dog on a leash that is no more than 2.0 metres (6.6 feet) long, strong enough to restrain the dog, and held by a competent person.
2. Do not take your dog into the Chinese or municipal cemeteries or into Village parks. The ban applies at any time.
3. Pick up after your dog immediately and dispose of it in a sanitary manner. This applies on another person's property and on any public street, lane or sidewalk.

## Good to know

- The bylaw designates no off-leash area. It bans dogs from Village parks instead.
- A legally blind owner is exempt from picking up a service animal's excrement when not with a sighted person aged 12 or over.
- The bylaw and Village pages we read do not state a fine for a dog at large. Ask the Village office.
- To report a problem, use the Bylaw Infraction Complaint Form or contact the Bylaw Enforcement Officer.

## Official forms and pages

- [Dog Control and Pound Operation Bylaw No. 832 (PDF)](https://ashcroftbc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Dog-Control-and-Pound-Operation-Bylaw-No.-832.pdf)

## Related questions

- [Ashcroft dog licences: fees and how to get one](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/ashcroft/dog-licence.md)
- [Ashcroft rules for aggressive and dangerous dogs](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/ashcroft/dangerous-dogs.md)
- [How many dogs or cats you can keep in Ashcroft](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/ashcroft/how-many-pets.md)
- [Ashcroft bylaw fines and how tickets work](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/ashcroft/bylaw-fines.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Dog leash rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Logan Lake](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/logan-lake/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Lillooet](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lillooet/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Kamloops](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kamloops/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Merritt](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/merritt/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Barriere](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/barriere/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Sun Peaks](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/sun-peaks/dog-leash-rules.md)

## Sources

- [Dog Control and Pound Operation Bylaw No. 832, Village of Ashcroft (PDF)](https://ashcroftbc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Dog-Control-and-Pound-Operation-Bylaw-No.-832.pdf) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Contact, Village of Ashcroft](https://ashcroftbc.ca/governance/contact/) (read 2026-11-08)

_Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 7 facts was matched to the official text; 1 is recorded as not set; 1 could not be confirmed. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with Village of Ashcroft. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/ashcroft/dog-leash-rules/_