---
title: Oak Bay dog leash rules and off-leash areas
question: "Where can dogs be off leash in Oak Bay, and what are the leash rules?"
place: Oak Bay, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/oak-bay
category: Pets, animals and wildlife
owner: municipal
owner_body: District of Oak Bay
sources_read: 2026-11-06
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/oak-bay/dog-leash-rules/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/oak-bay/dog-leash-rules.json"
---

# Oak Bay dog leash rules and off-leash areas

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

**Short answer:** In Oak Bay, a dog must be on a leash no longer than 2.4 metres on any street, on public school grounds and in the parks listed in the Animal Control Bylaw. Windsor Park has set off-leash hours. A ticket for a dog at large is $150.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (District of Oak Bay, https://www.oakbay.ca)  
**Cost:** A municipal ticket for a dog at large, an unleashed dog on a street or in a park, a dog in a banned area, or not picking up waste is $150 ($100 if paid within 30 days).  
**How long:** Windsor Park off-leash hours: sunrise to 9 a.m. July 1 to August 31, and sunrise to 11 a.m. September 1 to June 30.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Bylaw Enforcement (Municipal Hall), 250-598-3311
- Phone: Victoria Animal Control Services (contracted), 250-414-0233
- Phone: Parks office, 250-592-7275

## Key facts

- **Leash rule:** On any street and on public school grounds a dog must be under full control of a competent person on a leash or chain. Same in the Schedule D parks (including Windsor, Carnarvon, Henderson and Willows Park) and, April to June, in the Uplands Park area shown in Schedule C. A dog must not be at large.
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw, 1999 (Bylaw No. 4013), ss. 50, 56, 61, 61.1](https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/4013-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "No owner of a dog shall suffer or permit his or her dog to be at large." … "No dog owner shall suffer or permit his dog to be upon any street, except when" … "No dog owner shall suffer or permit his dog to be upon any public school grounds, except when" … "No dog owner shall suffer or permit his dog to be in any of the parks enumer" … "during the months of April, May and June in"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Maximum leash length:** 2.4 metres
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw, 1999 (Bylaw No. 4013), ss. 56, 61](https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/4013-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "by means of a chain or leash not exceeding 2.4 metres in length"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Off-leash areas:** Windsor Park is the only park with set off-leash hours: sunrise to 9 a.m. July 1 to August 31, sunrise to 11 a.m. September 1 to June 30, dog under full control; not in the fenced Rose Garden. A leash is required only in the Schedule D parks and, April to June, part of Uplands Park.
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw, 1999 (Bylaw No. 4013), ss. 57, 58](https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/4013-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "between sunrise and 9 o’clock a.m. on any day from July 1 to August 31" … "between sunrise and 11 o’clock a.m. on any day from September 1 in one" … "Section 57 does not apply" … "to the fenced Rose Garden in the easterly portion of Windsor Park" … "during the months of April, May and June in"
  - Source: [Dogs, Windsor Park Dog Off Leash Area - FAQ](https://www.oakbay.ca/community-culture/pets-wildlife/dogs/)
  - Official wording: "off-leash hours are sunrise to 11:00 a.m. from September through June and sunrise to 9:00 a.m. during July and August."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Places dogs are not allowed:** Banned: Windsor Park fenced Rose Garden, Native Plant Park, Henderson Park golf course and chip trail, Turkey Head Walkway, fenced Water Park in Carnarvon Park, Kitty Islet, Willows Beach May 1 to September 30, South Willows Beach all year. McNeill Bay Beach: dogs allowed October 1 to April 30, and May to September only between sunrise and sunset.
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw, 1999 (Bylaw No. 4013), ss. 59, 60, 60.1](https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/4013-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "in the fenced Rose Garden in the easterly portion of Windsor Park" … "No dog owner shall suffer or permit his dog to be on Willows Beach at any time" … "between May 1 and September 30 in any year." … "South Willows Beach (from the end of Bowker" … "No dog owner shall suffer or permit his/her dog to be on McNeill Bay Beach at any" … "between October 1 in one year and April 30 of the next year" … "in May, June, July, August or September, between sunrise and sunset."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Cleaning up:** The owner or person in charge must remove dog waste immediately from streets, beaches, parks, school grounds and other public places, and from private property that is not their own. Bag it securely and put it in a municipal litter receptacle labelled for dog waste.
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw, 1999 (Bylaw No. 4013), ss. 52, 54](https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/4013-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "the dog owner or person having charge of the dog shall cause the excrement to" … "where the excrement is securely contained in an" … "impermeable bag or other impermeable container so as not to ooze, leak or fall"
  - Source: [Dogs, Dog Waste](https://www.oakbay.ca/community-culture/pets-wildlife/dogs/)
  - Official wording: "All dog feces must be picked up and disposed of by the dog owner."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fine, dog at large or off leash:** Municipal ticket: $150 ($100 if paid within 30 days) for a dog at large, an unleashed dog on a street, or an unleashed dog in a park.
  - Source: [Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 4846, 2023 (consolidated), Sched. 2](https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Bylaw-4846-Municipal-Ticket-Info-Consolidate.pdf)
  - Official wording: "Dog At Large 50 $150.00 $100.00" … "Unleashed Dog On Street 61 $150.00 $100.00" … "Unleashed Dog In Park 56 $150.00 $100.00"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Animal Control Bylaw, 1999 (Bylaw No. 4013)
  - Source: [Animal Control Bylaw, 1999 (Bylaw No. 4013), title](https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/4013-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf)
  - Official wording: "BYLAW NO. 4013" … "This Bylaw may be cited as the ANIMAL CONTROL BYLAW, 1999."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

Under the [Animal Control Bylaw](<https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/4013-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf>), a dog must be under full control of a competent person on a leash or chain on any street and on public school grounds. The leash limit is 2.4 metres. The same applies in the parks listed in Schedule D (including Windsor, Carnarvon, Henderson and Willows Park) and, from April to June, in the Uplands Park area shown in Schedule C. A dog must not be at large, meaning off the owner's premises and not accompanied by a competent person in control of it.

Windsor Park is the only park with set off-leash hours: sunrise to 9 a.m. from July 1 to August 31, and sunrise to 11 a.m. from September 1 to June 30. The dog must be under full control, and dogs are not allowed in the fenced Rose Garden.

## Steps

1. Check the park against Schedule D of the bylaw.
2. Leash your dog (2.4 metres or shorter) unless you are in Windsor Park during the off-leash hours.
3. Pick up waste right away and bag it. The owner must remove dog waste from streets, beaches, parks, school grounds and other public places, and from private property that is not their own. Put it in a municipal litter receptacle labelled for dog waste.

## Good to know

- Dogs are banned in the Windsor Park fenced Rose Garden, Native Plant Park, the Henderson Park golf course and chip trail, Turkey Head Walkway, the fenced Water Park in Carnarvon Park, Kitty Islet, Willows Beach from May 1 to September 30, and South Willows Beach all year.
- McNeill Bay Beach: dogs are allowed October 1 to April 30, and from May to September only between sunrise and sunset.
- The clean-up rule does not apply to a blind person accompanied by a guide dog.
- The ticket is $150 ($100 if paid within 30 days) for a dog at large, an unleashed dog, a dog in a banned area, or failing to remove waste, under [Bylaw No. 4846](<https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Bylaw-4846-Municipal-Ticket-Info-Consolidate.pdf>).

## Official forms and pages

- [Dogs, District of Oak Bay](https://www.oakbay.ca/community-culture/pets-wildlife/dogs/)
- [Animal Control Bylaw, 1999 (Bylaw No. 4013) (PDF)](https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/4013-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf)

## Related questions

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

## The same question elsewhere

- [Dog leash rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Victoria](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/victoria/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Saanich](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/saanich/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Esquimalt](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/esquimalt/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [View Royal](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/view-royal/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Colwood](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/colwood/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Langford](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/langford/dog-leash-rules.md)

## Sources

- [Dogs, District of Oak Bay](https://www.oakbay.ca/community-culture/pets-wildlife/dogs/) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Animal Control Bylaw, 1999 (Bylaw No. 4013) (PDF)](https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/4013-Animal-Control-Bylaw.pdf) (read 2026-11-06)
- [Municipal Ticket Information Bylaw No. 4846, 2023 (consolidated) (PDF)](https://www.oakbay.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Bylaw-4846-Municipal-Ticket-Info-Consolidate.pdf) (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. Gov Handbook is an independent guide, not affiliated with District of Oak Bay. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/oak-bay/dog-leash-rules/_