Gold River dog leash rules and off-leash areas
Where can dogs be off leash in Gold River, and what are the leash rules?
Short answer
In Gold River, a dog in a public place must be on a leash no longer than 2 metres (6.6 feet) unless the place is a designated off-leash area. The Village's pages do not list any designated off-leash areas.
Key facts
| Leash rule | An owner must keep a dog leashed in a public place unless the place is a designated off-leash area (s. 4.2). An owner must also take effective measures so the dog is not At Large, meaning not under direct and continuous control (s. 4.1, 2.3).Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022, s. 4.2; Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022, s. 2.3 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingEvery Owner shall keep their Dog Leashed when the Dog is in a public place unless that place has been designated an off-leash area. Every Owner shall keep their Dog Leashed when the Dog is in a public place unless that place has means not being under the direct and continuous control of the Owner either by being: means not being under the direct and continuous control of the Owner |
|---|---|
| Maximum leash length | 2 metres (6.6 feet) at most. The leash must be strong enough to restrain the dog and attached to a collar or harness, with the other end held by a person able to control the dog.Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022, s. 2.14 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingno more than 2 meters (6.6 feet) in length |
| Off-leash areas | Council may designate off-leash areas by resolution, where licensed dogs may be At Large (s. 4.3). No list or map of designated areas was found on the pages searched.Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022, s. 4.3 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingCouncil may by resolution designate off-leash areas where licensed Dogs are permitted to be At Large. |
| Places dogs are not allowed | Any school ground, playground or park where dogs are expressly prohibited. The Village's garbage and recycling brochure asks owners to keep dogs off the sports fields on Hilke Road, which sit over the community drinking-water aquifer.Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022, s. 4.11; 2024 Garbage and Recycling brochure · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingOwner shall not permit or allow their Dog on any school ground, playground or park where Dogs are expressly prohibited. KEEP DOGS OFF THE SPORTS FIELDS ON HILKE ROAD. |
| Cleaning up | An owner must immediately remove feces left by their dog on property other than the owner's own.Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022, s. 4.10 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingOwner must immediately remove feces deposited by the Owner's Dog on property other than the Owner's property. |
| Fine, dog at large or off leash | Not confirmed. The ticket amount for a dog at large is in a scanned bylaw that could not be read. |
| Bylaw | Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022, s. 1.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingAnimal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022 |
How it works
Under the Village's Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022, an owner must keep a dog on a leash in a public place unless it is a designated off-leash area. Owners must also take effective measures so the dog is not "at large", meaning not under direct and continuous control. Council may designate off-leash areas by resolution, but the pages we searched do not list or map any.
Good to know
- The leash can be at most 2 metres (6.6 feet) long. It must be strong enough to restrain the dog, attached to a collar or harness, and held by a person able to control the dog.
- A female dog in heat must be on a non-retractable leash of no more than 2 metres.
- Dogs are not allowed on any school ground, playground or park where dogs are expressly prohibited. The Park Use Bylaw's list could not be read. The Village's garbage and recycling brochure also asks owners to keep dogs off the sports fields on Hilke Road, which sit over the community drinking-water aquifer.
- Remove your dog's feces immediately from any property other than your own.
- The ticket amount for a dog at large is in a scanned bylaw the Village posts without readable text. On conviction, the animal bylaw sets a fine of not less than $100 and not more than $2,500.
- For off-leash areas or enforcement, call Village Hall at (250) 283-2202.
Official forms and pages
The same question in other places
Tahsis · Campbell River · Tofino · Sayward · Cumberland · Courtenay
Sources
- Animal Control and Pound Bylaw No. 736, 2022 (PDF), Village of Gold River (read 2026-11-08)
- 2024 Garbage and Recycling brochure (PDF), Village of Gold River (read 2026-11-08)
Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 6 of 7 facts was matched to the official text; 1 could not be confirmed. How answers are checked.