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

# Nakusp dog leash rules and off-leash areas

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

**Short answer:** In Nakusp, no off-leash area is named in the Animal Control Bylaw or on the Village's pages. Off your own property a dog must be on a leash held by a person able to control it. Dogs are banned from bathing beaches, and owners must clean up after their dog.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (Village of Nakusp, https://www.nakusp.com)  
**Cost:** Dog at large: bylaw notice $200; municipal ticket $100. Dog in a public place without restraint: bylaw notice $150; municipal ticket $100.  
**Where:**
- In person: Village Office (Municipal Hall), 91 1st Street NW, Nakusp, BC (Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.)
- Phone: Village Office, 250-265-3689 (Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.)

## Key facts

- **Leash rule:** Off the owner's property a dog must be on a leash held by a person able to control it. On the owner's property it must be confined so it cannot escape. A dog in heat must be confined, and leashed off the property.
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 645, 2013 (consolidated January 15, 2020), Part II s. 1, 5](https://nakusp.civicweb.net/document/5592/)
  - Official wording: "while it is not on the owner's property, shall keep the dog secured to a leash held by a person able to control the dog;" … "shall keep the dog confined so that it cannot escape while it is on the owner's property;" … "must keep the dog securely confined indoors or within a building or enclosure"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Maximum leash length:** The bylaw sets no maximum leash length for ordinary dogs. A dangerous dog must be on a leash no more than 2 metres long.
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 645, 2013 (consolidated January 15, 2020), Part II s. 3(a)](https://nakusp.civicweb.net/document/5592/)
  - Official wording: "shall keep the dog muzzled and secured to a leash, no more than 2 meters in length"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Off-leash areas:** Not confirmed. The bylaw and the Village pages that were read name no off-leash areas.
- **Places dogs are not allowed:** Dogs may not be on any bathing beach, in the water, or on the grassed areas or gardens next to a bathing beach, at any time.
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 645, 2013 (consolidated January 15, 2020), Part II s. 1(f)](https://nakusp.civicweb.net/document/5592/)
  - Official wording: "Shall not permit dogs to be on any bathing beach or in the waters, grassed areas or gardens adjacent to the bathing beach, at any time;"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Cleaning up:** The owner or person in control must immediately remove the dog's excrement from any public place or other private property and dispose of it in a sanitary manner.
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 645, 2013 (consolidated January 15, 2020), Part II s. 9](https://nakusp.civicweb.net/document/5592/)
  - Official wording: "No owner, or person having control, of a dog shall allow the dog to leave or deposit excrement on any public place or on private property other than the property of the owner" … "immediately takes steps to remove such excrement and to dispose of it in a sanitary manner."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Fine, dog at large or off leash:** Bylaw notice: dog at large $200 ($175 if paid within 14 days; $225 after 28 days); dog in a public place without restraint $150 ($125; $175). Municipal ticket: $100 for each.
  - Source: [Bylaw Notice Enforcement and Dispute Adjudication System Bylaw No. 694, 2020 (consolidated), Schedule A, Animal Control, Part II 1(a), 1(b)](https://nakusp.civicweb.net/document/7413/)
  - Official wording: "Part II 1(a) Dog at large 200 175 225 No" … "Part II 1(b) Dog in public place without 150 125 175 No"
  - Source: [Municipal Ticketing Information System Bylaw No. 684, 2018 (consolidated May 2025), Schedule 10](https://nakusp.civicweb.net/document/13964/)
  - Official wording: "Dog at Large Part II 1(a) $100.00" … "Dog in Public Place without Restraint Part II 1(b) $100.00"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08
- **Bylaw:** Animal Control Bylaw No. 645, 2013 (consolidated to include Bylaws 645-1, 645-2 and 645-3, 2019; consolidated January 15, 2020)
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw No. 645, 2013 (consolidated January 15, 2020), s. 1](https://nakusp.civicweb.net/document/5592/)
  - Official wording: "the “Animal Control Bylaw No 645, 2013”" … "Consolidated January 15, 2020 to include Bylaws 645-1, 645-2 and 645-3, 2019"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08

## How it works

The [Animal Control Bylaw No. 645](<https://nakusp.civicweb.net/document/5592/>) sets the rules for dogs in Nakusp. Off the owner's property a dog must be on a leash held by a person able to control it. On the owner's property it must be confined so it cannot escape. A dog in heat must be confined, and leashed when off the property.

## Good to know

- The bylaw and the Village's pages that we read name no off-leash areas.
- The bylaw sets no maximum leash length for ordinary dogs. A dangerous dog must be on a leash no more than 2 metres long.
- Dogs may not be on any bathing beach, in the water, or on the grassed areas or gardens next to a bathing beach, at any time.
- The Village's Parks Regulation Bylaw No. 660 also has pet rules for parks, but it is not in the Village's bylaw library. Ask the Village Office at 250-265-3689.
- The owner or person in control must immediately remove the dog's excrement from any public place or other private property and dispose of it in a sanitary manner. Failing to clean up is a bylaw notice of $150; a municipal ticket is $100.
- Dog at large: a bylaw notice is $200 ($175 if paid within 14 days; $225 after 28 days). Dog in a public place without restraint: a bylaw notice is $150 ($125; $175). A municipal ticket is $100 for each.

## Official forms and pages

- [Animal Control Bylaw No. 645, 2013 (consolidated January 15, 2020) (PDF), Village of Nakusp](https://nakusp.civicweb.net/document/5592/)

## Related questions

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

## The same question elsewhere

- [Dog leash rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [New Denver](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/new-denver/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Silverton](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/silverton/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Kaslo](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kaslo/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Revelstoke](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/revelstoke/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Lumby](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/lumby/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Nelson](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/nelson/dog-leash-rules.md)

## Sources

- [Animal Control Bylaw No. 645, 2013 (consolidated January 15, 2020) (PDF), Village of Nakusp](https://nakusp.civicweb.net/document/5592/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Bylaw Notice Enforcement and Dispute Adjudication System Bylaw No. 694, 2020 (consolidated) (PDF), Village of Nakusp](https://nakusp.civicweb.net/document/7413/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Municipal Ticketing Information System Bylaw No. 684, 2018 (consolidated May 2025) (PDF), Village of Nakusp](https://nakusp.civicweb.net/document/13964/) (read 2026-11-08)
- [Contact Us, Village of Nakusp](https://www.nakusp.com/contact-us) (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. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with Village of Nakusp. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/nakusp/dog-leash-rules/_