Prince Rupert dog leash rules and off-leash areas
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.
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.Dog Control Bylaw No. 3250, 2008, s. 400, 402 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingNo 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 |
|---|---|
| Maximum leash length | A leash must be 3 to 6 feet long and strong enough to restrain the dog.Dog Control Bylaw No. 3250, 2008, Sched. A, "Leash" · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingno more than six (6) feet in length and no less than three (3) feet |
| 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.Dog Control Bylaw No. 3250, 2008, s. 406, 407, 408.1; Sched. A "Off Leash Area" · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingan 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 |
| 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.Dog Control Bylaw No. 3250, 2008, s. 403 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingcarry 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 |
| 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.Pet Licenses, Fines for Offenses Under the Dog Bylaw · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingDog at large 13 $85.00 Unleashed dog in park 15 (a) $55.00 Dog excrement not removed from public place 15 (b) $55.00 |
| Bylaw | Dog Control Bylaw No. 3250, 2008Dog Control Bylaw No. 3250, 2008, s. 605 · Wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06Official wordingThis bylaw may be cited as the "DOG CONTROL BYLAW No. 3250, 2008" |
How it works
Under Dog Control Bylaw 3250, 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
The same question in other places
Port Edward · Kitimat · Terrace · New Hazelton · Smithers · Telkwa
Sources
- Pet Licenses, City of Prince Rupert (read 2026-11-05)
- Dog Control Bylaw No. 3250, 2008 (PDF), City of Prince Rupert (read 2026-11-05)
- Contact a City Department, City of Prince Rupert (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. How answers are checked.