GovHandbook

Comox dog leash rules and off-leash areas

Where can dogs be off leash in Comox, and what are the leash rules?

Comox, British ColumbiaChecked against official textSources read 2026-11-06

Short answer

In Comox, a dog must never be at large. On any street or public place it must be on a leash under a competent person's control, and in Town parks, fields and forests it must be on leash at all times. The one fenced off-leash park is at the former Comox Elementary School site.

Key facts

Leash ruleA dog must never be at large. On any street or public place it must be under full control of a competent person on a leash. In Town parks, playing fields and forests dogs must be on leash at all times.Dog Licence and Pound Bylaw No. 1322 (consolidated to March 18, 2026), ss. 5.1, 5.2; Pets in Parks, Pets in Parks page · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
Official wording
No owner shall permit a dog to be at large within the Municipality.
No owner of a dog shall permit, suffer or allow the dog to be on any street or in any public place unless it is under the full custody and control of a competent person by means of a leash
dogs must be on leash at all times
Maximum leash length2.5 m. Aggressive or dangerous dogs in public must be on a non-retractable leash of 2 m or less.Dog Licence and Pound Bylaw No. 1322 (consolidated to March 18, 2026), s. 2 (At Large), s. 5.2, s. 5.5(b) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
Official wording
a leash not exceeding 2.5 metres in length
muzzled, on a non-retractable leash not exceeding two metres in length
Off-leash areasOne fenced off-leash dog park at the former Comox Elementary School site (Rodello Street and Fairbairn Avenue), with a separate small-dog area. A map is on the Town's Pets in Parks page.Pets in Parks, Pets in Parks page · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
Official wording
Yes, there is one off-leash park located at the former Comox Elementary School location (Rodello Street and Fairbairn Avenue).
a small dog space was added
Location Map of the off-leash dog park in Comox.
Places dogs are not allowedAggressive or dangerous dogs are banned from school grounds, from within 30 m of any playground, and from designated off-leash areas and parks. In parks no animal may enter a body of water except the ocean.Dog Licence and Pound Bylaw No. 1322 (consolidated to March 18, 2026), s. 5.5(a); Parks Use Bylaw No. 1881 (consolidated to December 4, 2024), s. 3(4)(c) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
Official wording
on school grounds, within 30 metres of any playground
to enter any body of
water, except the ocean
Cleaning upAn owner must immediately remove and sanitarily dispose of solid dog excrement left on any public place or on private property other than the owner's own.Dog Licence and Pound Bylaw No. 1322 (consolidated to March 18, 2026), s. 5.15; Pets in Parks, Pets in Parks page · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
Official wording
to allow or suffer any dog to leave or deposit solid
excrement on any public place or private property other than the property of the owner unless the owner shall immediately take steps to remove such solid excrement
Please help keep our parks clean and respect fellow users by picking up after your pet
Fine, dog at large or off leashBylaw notice: $50 if paid within 14 days, $90 after (at large or off leash). Municipal ticket under the dog bylaw: $90 for either.Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 2004 (consolidated to June 10, 2026), Schedule A, A3 Dog Licence and Pound Bylaw No. 1322; Dog Licence and Pound Bylaw No. 1322 (consolidated to March 18, 2026), s. 7.3 (offence table) · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
Official wording
Dog at large 5.1 50 90 N/A
Dog not on leash 5.2 50 90 N/A
Dog at large 5.1 $90.00
Dog off leash 5.2 $90.00
BylawDog Licence and Pound Bylaw No. 1322Dog Licence and Pound Bylaw No. 1322 (consolidated to March 18, 2026), s. 1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
Official wording
This Bylaw may be cited as the Dog Licence and Pound Bylaw No. 1322.

How it works

Under the Dog Licence and Pound Bylaw No. 1322, a dog must never be at large. On any street or public place it must be under the full control of a competent person on a leash, and the leash must be 2.5 m or shorter. In Town parks, playing fields and forests, dogs must be on leash at all times, according to the Town's Pets in Parks page.

There is one fenced off-leash dog park, at the former Comox Elementary School site (Rodello Street and Fairbairn Avenue), with a separate small-dog area. A map is on the Pets in Parks page, which also points to off-leash areas in the nearby Comox Valley Regional District.

Good to know

  • Pick up after your dog. An owner must immediately remove and sanitarily dispose of dog excrement left on any public place, or on private property other than the owner's own.
  • Aggressive or dangerous dogs must be on a non-retractable leash of 2 m or less in public. They are banned from school grounds, from within 30 m of any playground, and from designated off-leash areas and parks.
  • In parks, no animal may enter a body of water except the ocean (Parks Use Bylaw No. 1881).
  • The sources found do not ban ordinary leashed dogs from particular parks or beaches. Ask the Town if you are unsure about a specific park.
  • At large or off leash: a bylaw notice is $50 if paid within 14 days and $90 after; a municipal ticket under the dog bylaw is $90.
  • To report a dog problem, use the Town's Bylaw Complaint Form or call the Bylaw Enforcement Officer at 250-339-2202.

Official forms and pages

The same question in other places

Courtenay · Cumberland · Powell River · Campbell River · Port Alberni · Qualicum Beach

Dog leash rules in British Columbia, by municipality →

Sources

  1. Pets in Parks, Town of Comox (read 2026-11-06)
  2. Dog Licence and Pound Bylaw No. 1322 (consolidated to March 18, 2026) (PDF) (read 2026-11-06)
  3. Parks Use Bylaw No. 1881 (consolidated to December 4, 2024) (PDF) (read 2026-11-06)
  4. Bylaw Notice Enforcement Bylaw No. 2004 (consolidated to June 10, 2026) (PDF) (read 2026-11-06)
  5. Report an Issue, Town of Comox (read 2026-11-06)

Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 7 of 7 facts was matched to the official text. How answers are checked.