{"title":"Port Edward dog leash rules and off-leash areas","question":"Where can dogs be off leash, and what are the leash rules?","slug":"dog-leash-rules","place":{"path":"ca/bc/port-edward","name":"Port Edward","region":{"code":"bc","name":"British Columbia"},"country":{"code":"ca","name":"Canada"}},"category":{"slug":"pets-and-wildlife","name":"Pets, animals and wildlife"},"owner":"municipal","owner_label":"Municipal","owner_body":{"name":"District of Port Edward","url":"https://www.portedward.ca"},"short_answer":"In Port Edward, a dog may not be at large, meaning off the owner's property and not under the immediate charge and control of a responsible person. The bylaw defines a leash as 3 to 6 feet long. No off-leash areas are listed.","aliases":["dog leash rules port edward","off leash dog park port edward","dog at large port edward","dog poop port edward"],"cost":"No fee. No ticket amount is posted; the bylaw sets a court fine of $50 to $10,000 for any offence.","how_long":"Not applicable.","where":[{"type":"phone","label":"District of Port Edward office (Municipal Hall, 770 Pacific Ave)","value":"250-628-3667","note":"Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding public holidays"}],"documents":[],"forms":[{"title":"Animal Control, District of Port Edward","url":"https://www.portedward.ca/services/animal-control"},{"title":"Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 519, 2011 (PDF)","url":"https://www.portedward.ca/uploads/_bylaws_other/519Animalcontrol.pdf"}],"related":[{"slug":"dog-licence","title":"Port Edward dog licences: fees and how to get one","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-edward/dog-licence/"},{"slug":"how-many-pets","title":"How many dogs or cats you can keep in Port Edward","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-edward/how-many-pets/"},{"slug":"dangerous-dogs","title":"Port Edward rules for aggressive and dangerous dogs","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-edward/dangerous-dogs/"}],"nearby":[{"place":"ca/bc/prince-rupert","name":"Prince Rupert","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/prince-rupert/dog-leash-rules/"},{"place":"ca/bc/kitimat","name":"Kitimat","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kitimat/dog-leash-rules/"},{"place":"ca/bc/terrace","name":"Terrace","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/terrace/dog-leash-rules/"},{"place":"ca/bc/new-hazelton","name":"New Hazelton","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/new-hazelton/dog-leash-rules/"},{"place":"ca/bc/smithers","name":"Smithers","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/smithers/dog-leash-rules/"},{"place":"ca/bc/telkwa","name":"Telkwa","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/telkwa/dog-leash-rules/"}],"topic":{"title":"Dog leash rules in British Columbia, by municipality","url":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/dog-leash-rules/"},"facts":{"leash_rule":{"label":"Leash rule","value":"No owner may let a dog be at large or on a highway. 'At large' means off the owner's property and not under the immediate charge and control of a responsible, competent person, or in a public place posted as closed to dogs.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.portedward.ca/uploads/_bylaws_other/519Animalcontrol.pdf","title":"Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 519, 2011 (PDF)","section":"s. 1 (At Large), s. 9","quotes":["No owner of an animal shall permit or cause it to be at large or on a highway","not under the immediate charge and control of a responsible and competent person"]},{"url":"https://www.portedward.ca/services/animal-control","title":"Animal Control, District of Port Edward","section":"Dogs At Large","quotes":["On a leash or under immediate control at all times"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"leash_length":{"label":"Maximum leash length","value":"A leash is defined as no more than 6 feet and no less than 3 feet long.","short":"3 to 6 feet","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.portedward.ca/uploads/_bylaws_other/519Animalcontrol.pdf","title":"Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 519, 2011 (PDF)","section":"s. 1 (Leash)","quotes":["no more than six (6) feet in length and no less than three (3) feet"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"off_leash_areas":{"label":"Off-leash areas","value":null,"status":"unknown","reason":"not_published","note":"No official page lists or maps any off-leash area.","sources":[]},"dogs_not_allowed":{"label":"Places dogs are not allowed","value":"Public places posted as prohibited to dogs; a dog found there is 'at large'.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.portedward.ca/uploads/_bylaws_other/519Animalcontrol.pdf","title":"Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 519, 2011 (PDF)","section":"s. 1 (At Large)","quotes":["in or upon a public place posted as being prohibited to dogs."]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}},"clean_up":{"label":"Cleaning up","value":"You must remove your dog's waste immediately when it defecates on someone else's property (Bylaw 519 s. 31) or, as the District's page states, in a public space.","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.portedward.ca/uploads/_bylaws_other/519Animalcontrol.pdf","title":"Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 519, 2011 (PDF)","section":"s. 31 (second)","quotes":["An owner whose dog defecates on another person's property shall forthwith remove the defecated matter."]},{"url":"https://www.portedward.ca/services/animal-control","title":"Animal Control, District of Port Edward","section":"Picking Up After Your Dog","quotes":["you must remove the waste immediately","If your dog defecates on someone else’s property or in a public space, you must remove the waste immediately."]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"},"sources_differ":"The District page extends this to public spaces; the bylaw text only names another person's property."},"fine_at_large":{"label":"Fine, dog at large or off leash","value":null,"status":"unknown","reason":"not_published","note":"No ticket amount for a dog at large is posted.","sources":[]},"bylaw":{"label":"Bylaw","value":"District of Port Edward Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 519, 2011","status":"stated","sources":[{"url":"https://www.portedward.ca/uploads/_bylaws_other/519Animalcontrol.pdf","title":"Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 519, 2011 (PDF)","section":"s. 39","quotes":["Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 519, 2011"]}],"check":{"result":"matched","text_date":"2026-11-08"}}},"facts_summary":{"total":7,"stated":5,"matched":5,"none":0,"unknown":2},"body_markdown":"## How it works\n\nUnder the District's [Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 519, 2011](<https://www.portedward.ca/uploads/_bylaws_other/519Animalcontrol.pdf>), no owner may let a dog be at large or on a highway. \"At large\" means off the owner's property and not under the immediate charge and control of a responsible, competent person, or in a public place posted as closed to dogs. The District's [Animal Control page](<https://www.portedward.ca/services/animal-control>) says dogs must be on a leash or under immediate control unless on the owner's property or in a designated off-leash area.\n\n## Good to know\n\n- The bylaw defines a leash as no more than 6 feet and no less than 3 feet long.\n- A female dog in heat must be on a leash unless confined (s. 14).\n- No official page lists or maps any off-leash area, although the Animal Control page mentions \"a designated off-leash area\". Ask the District office at 250-628-3667.\n- Places posted as closed to dogs: the bylaw has no list.\n- Clean-up: the bylaw (s. 31) requires you to remove your dog's waste immediately when it defecates on someone else's property. The District's page extends this to public spaces, so pick it up there too.\n- A dog at large may be impounded. The basic impoundment fee is $50 (Schedule B).\n- No ticket amount is posted. The bylaw sets a court fine of $50 to $10,000 for any offence.","sources":[{"url":"https://www.portedward.ca/services/animal-control","title":"Animal Control, District of Port Edward","accessed":"2026-11-08"},{"url":"https://www.portedward.ca/uploads/_bylaws_other/519Animalcontrol.pdf","title":"Animal Control and Licensing Bylaw No. 519, 2011 (PDF)","accessed":"2026-11-08"},{"url":"https://www.portedward.ca/web-forms/resident-complaint-form","title":"Resident Complaint Form, District of Port Edward","accessed":"2026-11-08"}],"sources_read":"2026-11-08","review":{"status":"machine_checked","badge":"Checked against official text","label":"Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 7 facts was matched to the official text; 2 could not be confirmed."},"urls":{"html":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-edward/dog-leash-rules/","markdown":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-edward/dog-leash-rules.md","json":"https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-edward/dog-leash-rules.json"}}