---
title: Prince Rupert dog leash rules and off-leash areas
question: "Where can dogs be off leash, and what are the leash rules?"
place: Prince Rupert, British Columbia, Canada
place_path: ca/bc/prince-rupert
category: Pets, animals and wildlife
owner: municipal
owner_body: City of Prince Rupert
sources_read: 2026-11-05
review: machine_checked
canonical: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/prince-rupert/dog-leash-rules/"
json: "https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/prince-rupert/dog-leash-rules.json"
---

# Prince Rupert dog leash rules and off-leash areas

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

**Short answer:** In Prince Rupert, off your own property a dog must be on a leash and under control on any highway, school property, park or other public place, except in a designated off-leash area. The City does not publish where those areas are, so ask the Bylaw Department at 250-624-6852.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of Prince Rupert, https://www.princerupert.ca)  
**Cost:** Tickets (City Pet Licenses page): dog at large $85; unleashed dog in a park $55; excrement not removed $55.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Bylaw Department, 250-624-6852
- Email: Bylaw Department, bylaw@princerupert.ca

## Key facts

- **Leash rule:** Off your own property, a dog must be on a leash and under control on any highway, school property, park or other public place in the City, except in a designated off-leash area. No owner may let a dog be at large or trespass on private property.
  - Source: [Dog Control Bylaw No. 3250, 2008, s. 400, 402](https://www.princerupert.ca/sites/7/files/2023-06/3250%20-%20%20Dog%20Control%20Bylaw%20%28VERSION%202.00%20-%20January%202008%29.pdf)
  - Official wording: "No owner of an animal shall permit the animal to be at large in the City or to trespass on any private property." … "shall keep the dog on a leash and under control while on any highway, school property, park or other public place in the City"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Maximum leash length:** A leash must be 3 to 6 feet long and strong enough to restrain the dog.
  - Source: [Dog Control Bylaw No. 3250, 2008, Sched. A, "Leash"](https://www.princerupert.ca/sites/7/files/2023-06/3250%20-%20%20Dog%20Control%20Bylaw%20%28VERSION%202.00%20-%20January%202008%29.pdf)
  - Official wording: "no more than six (6) feet in length and no less than three (3) feet"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Off-leash areas:** Only in City-owned areas designated by signs. There the owner must carry a leash, keep the dog in view, have it return when called, and leash it at once if it acts aggressively. Restricted and vicious dogs are never allowed in them.
  - Source: [Dog Control Bylaw No. 3250, 2008, s. 406, 407, 408.1; Sched. A "Off Leash Area"](https://www.princerupert.ca/sites/7/files/2023-06/3250%20-%20%20Dog%20Control%20Bylaw%20%28VERSION%202.00%20-%20January%202008%29.pdf)
  - Official wording: "an area of the City-owned property designated by signs" … "immediately leashes the dog if it displays any aggressive behaviour" … "not permit or allow the dog to be in a designated off-leash area in the City at any time"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Places dogs are not allowed:** Not confirmed. The bylaw lets Council set no-dog areas, but none are listed.
- **Cleaning up:** Anyone with a dog in a public place, on a highway, school property, park or private property other than their own residence must carry a bag or other impermeable means to pick up the dog's excrement, and immediately remove and dispose of it in a waste container or other sanitary way.
  - Source: [Dog Control Bylaw No. 3250, 2008, s. 403](https://www.princerupert.ca/sites/7/files/2023-06/3250%20-%20%20Dog%20Control%20Bylaw%20%28VERSION%202.00%20-%20January%202008%29.pdf)
  - Official wording: "carry a plastic bag or other impermeable means to pick up and properly dispose of any excrement left by their dog" … "immediately remove and dispose of, in a waste container, or by other sanitary means, any excrement deposited by the dog"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fine, dog at large or off leash:** Dog at large $85. Unleashed dog in a park $55. Dog excrement not removed from a public place $55.
  - Source: [Pet Licenses, Fines for Offenses Under the Dog Bylaw](https://www.princerupert.ca/city-hall/bylaws-policies/animal-control/pet-licenses)
  - Official wording: "Dog at large 13 $85.00" … "Unleashed dog in park 15 (a) $55.00" … "Dog excrement not removed from public place 15 (b) $55.00"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Dog Control Bylaw No. 3250, 2008
  - Source: [Dog Control Bylaw No. 3250, 2008, s. 605](https://www.princerupert.ca/sites/7/files/2023-06/3250%20-%20%20Dog%20Control%20Bylaw%20%28VERSION%202.00%20-%20January%202008%29.pdf)
  - Official wording: "This bylaw may be cited as the "DOG CONTROL BYLAW No. 3250, 2008""
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

Under [Dog Control Bylaw 3250](https://www.princerupert.ca/sites/7/files/2023-06/3250%20-%20%20Dog%20Control%20Bylaw%20%28VERSION%202.00%20-%20January%202008%29.pdf), a dog off its owner's property must be on a leash and under control on any highway, school property, park or other public place in Prince Rupert, unless it is in a designated off-leash area. An owner may not let a dog be at large or trespass on private property. A leash must be 3 to 6 feet long and strong enough to restrain the dog.

## Good to know

- Off-leash areas are City-owned areas marked by signs. The City's pages and the bylaw do not list or map them, so ask the Bylaw Department.
- In an off-leash area you must carry a leash, keep the dog in view, have it return when called, and leash it at once if it acts aggressively.
- Restricted and vicious dogs are never allowed in off-leash areas.
- The bylaw lets Council set areas where dogs are not allowed, but none are listed.
- Carry a bag or other way to pick up your dog's excrement in any public place, on a highway, in a park or school property, or on private property other than your own home, and remove it right away to a waste container or other sanitary place.
- Tickets (City Pet Licenses page): dog at large $85; unleashed dog in a park $55; excrement not removed from a public place $55. A court can fine $1,000 to $10,000 under the bylaw.

## Official forms and pages

- [Pet Licenses page (fines)](https://www.princerupert.ca/city-hall/bylaws-policies/animal-control/pet-licenses)
- [Dog Control Bylaw 3250 (PDF)](https://www.princerupert.ca/sites/7/files/2023-06/3250%20-%20%20Dog%20Control%20Bylaw%20%28VERSION%202.00%20-%20January%202008%29.pdf)

## Related questions

- [Prince Rupert dog licences: fees and how to get one](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/prince-rupert/dog-licence.md)
- [Prince Rupert rules for aggressive and dangerous dogs](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/prince-rupert/dangerous-dogs.md)

## The same question elsewhere

- [Dog leash rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Port Edward](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/port-edward/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Kitimat](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/kitimat/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Terrace](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/terrace/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [New Hazelton](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/new-hazelton/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Smithers](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/smithers/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Telkwa](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/telkwa/dog-leash-rules.md)

## Sources

- [Pet Licenses, City of Prince Rupert](https://www.princerupert.ca/city-hall/bylaws-policies/animal-control/pet-licenses) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Dog Control Bylaw No. 3250, 2008 (PDF), City of Prince Rupert](https://www.princerupert.ca/sites/7/files/2023-06/3250%20-%20%20Dog%20Control%20Bylaw%20%28VERSION%202.00%20-%20January%202008%29.pdf) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Contact a City Department, City of Prince Rupert](https://www.princerupert.ca/city-hall/contact-city-department) (read 2026-11-05)

_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 City of Prince Rupert. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/prince-rupert/dog-leash-rules/_