Port Hardy dog leash rules and off-leash areas
Where can dogs be off leash in Port Hardy, and what are the leash rules?
Short answer
In Port Hardy, a dog must not run at large, meaning off its owner's property and not on a leash or under a responsible person's control. In a designated off-leash area it need not be leashed but must obey verbal commands. A dog at large is a $100 ticket.
Key facts
| Leash rule | Owners must not let a dog run at large, meaning off the owner's property and not on a leash and/or under the control of a responsible person. In a designated off-leash area a leash is not required, but the dog must be under control by verbal command at all times.Animal Care and Control Bylaw No. 11-2012, consolidated March 2023, s. 2.1 'At large', 4.3, 4.4, 4.8 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingAt large means an animal that is not on the property of the owner and that is not on a leash and/or under the control of a person responsible. An owner shall ensure his or her animal does not run at large within the municipality. keep the dog under control by verbal command at all times |
|---|---|
| Maximum leash length | None set. Port Hardy's bylaw sets no general leash length. |
| Off-leash areas | Bylaw Schedule A lists Tsulquate Park (Kin Hut to the Waste Water Treatment Plant), Duval Forestry Road and 9250 Trustee Road beside North Island Mall. The District's animal control page shows only the fenced Wat'si Park (Trustee Road) as an off-leash zone and lists the other two as planned improvements. No map found.Sources differ: The animal control page lists only the fenced Wat'si park at Trustee Road as an off-leash zone and shows Tsulquate Park and Duval Forestry Road under 'Planned improvements'; the bylaw schedule lists all three as off-leash zones. No map found.Animal Care and Control Bylaw No. 11-2012, consolidated March 2023, Schedule A, Off-leash Zones; Animal Control, Off Leash Zones · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingTsulquate Park from Kin Hut to the Waste Water Treatment Plant Duval Forestry Road (9250 Trustee Road) fenced in dog Park Planned improvements - Tsulquate Park from Kin Hut to the Waste Water Treatment Plant - Duval Forestry Road |
| Places dogs are not allowed | Not confirmed. Not found in the official sources that were read. |
| Cleaning up | If an animal defecates on any public property or any private property other than its owner's, the owner must remove the feces immediately.Animal Care and Control Bylaw No. 11-2012, consolidated March 2023, s. 4.5 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingIf an animal defecates on any public or private property other than the property of its owner, the owner shall remove such feces immediately. |
| Fine, dog at large or off leash | $100 for an animal at large (Municipal ticket, s. 4.3). Failure to control a dog is also $100 (s. 4.8(a)).Municipal Ticket Information System Bylaw No. 01-2010, consolidated August 2014, Schedule B, Animal Care and Control Bylaw · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingAnimal at large Failure to control dog |
| Bylaw | District of Port Hardy Animal Care and Control Bylaw No. 11-2012 (consolidated March 2023).Animal Care and Control Bylaw No. 11-2012, consolidated March 2023, s. 1.1 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-08Official wordingA Bylaw to Provide for the Care and Control of Animals |
How it works
Under the Animal Care and Control Bylaw 11-2012, an owner must not let a dog run at large. At large means off the owner's property and not on a leash and/or under the control of a responsible person. In a designated off-leash area a leash is not required, but the dog must be under control by verbal command at all times.
Steps
- Keep your dog on your property, or leashed or under a responsible person's control, anywhere else.
- Use only a designated off-leash area for letting a dog run free, and keep it responsive to your voice.
- Remove your dog's feces right away if it defecates on public property or on private property that is not yours.
Good to know
- The bylaw's Schedule A lists Tsulquate Park (Kin Hut to the Waste Water Treatment Plant), Duval Forestry Road and 9250 Trustee Road beside North Island Mall as off-leash areas. The District's animal control page shows only the fenced Wat'si Park on Trustee Road as an off-leash zone and lists the other two as planned improvements. Confirm with the Animal Control Officer before relying on a site. No map was found.
- The bylaw sets no general leash length. The only length is for dangerous dogs: a leash not longer than one metre.
- No ban on dogs in parks, beaches or playgrounds was found.
- A municipal ticket is $100 for a dog at large, $100 for failing to control a dog and $100 for failing to remove feces (Municipal Ticket Information System Bylaw 01-2010).
Official forms and pages
The same question in other places
Tahsis · Sayward · Gold River · Campbell River · Cumberland · Tofino
Sources
- Animal Care and Control Bylaw No. 11-2012, consolidated March 2023 (PDF), District of Port Hardy (read 2026-11-08)
- Municipal Ticket Information System Bylaw No. 01-2010, consolidated August 2014 (PDF), District of Port Hardy (read 2026-11-08)
- Animal Control, District of Port Hardy (read 2026-11-08)
Checked by script, not yet by a person: the official wording behind 5 of 7 facts was matched to the official text; 1 is recorded as not set; 1 could not be confirmed. How answers are checked.