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

# Victoria dog leash rules and off-leash areas

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

**Short answer:** In the City of Victoria a dog in a public place must be firmly held on a leash by a person able to restrain it. The exception is the 15 leash-optional park areas, at their set times only. The leash can be up to 2.4 metres, or a retractable lead up to 8 metres.

**Who handles it:** Municipal (City of Victoria, https://www.victoria.ca)  
**Cost:** Fine for a dog in a public place without restraint: bylaw notice $100, municipal ticket $100.  
**Where:**
- Phone: Victoria Animal Control Services, 250-414-0233

## Key facts

- **Leash rule:** A dog in a public place must be firmly held on a leash by a person competent to restrain it. Exception: leash-optional park areas, only at the listed times, with the dog under effective control (in sight and returns within three calls) and the area not closed or under permit.
  - Source: [Animal Responsibility Bylaw 11-044 (consolidated to July 2022), s. 19(1)-(3)](https://www.victoria.ca/media/554)
  - Official wording: "The owner of a dog must not allow the dog to be in a public place unless the dog is firmly held on" … "by a person competent to restrain the dog." … "the dog is under the effective control of a competent person" … "when the person calls the dog, the dog returns to the person within three calls."
  - Source: [Dogs in Parks](https://www.victoria.ca/parks-recreation/our-parks/dogs-parks)
  - Official wording: "All dogs must be on a leash in the City of Victoria except in designated leash-optional areas or within enclosed spaces on private property."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Maximum leash length:** A leash up to 2.4 m long, or a retractable lead up to 8 m when fully extended.
  - Source: [Animal Responsibility Bylaw 11-044 (consolidated to July 2022), s. 19(1)](https://www.victoria.ca/media/554)
  - Official wording: "a leash not exceeding 2.4 m in length, or" … "a retractable lead not exceeding 8 m in length when fully extended,"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Off-leash areas:** 15 leash-optional park areas, each with set times (Schedule A), for example Arbutus Park, Oswald Park and Vic West Park all days 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Barnard Park 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. The City's Dogs in Parks page has a map and a list version.
  - Source: [Dogs in Parks, Leash-Optional Areas](https://www.victoria.ca/parks-recreation/our-parks/dogs-parks)
  - Official wording: "There are 15 leash-optional dog parks in Victoria." … "Click here for a list version of the dog parks highlighted on the map below."
  - Source: [Animal Responsibility Bylaw 11-044 (consolidated to July 2022), Schedule A](https://www.victoria.ca/media/554)
  - Official wording: "Arbutus Park all days 6:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m." … "Barnard Park all days 6:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Places dogs are not allowed:** Dogs are banned in: the dogs-prohibited part of Beacon Hill Park, Pioneer Square, Ross Bay Cemetery, Gonzales Beach from June 1 to August 31, playgrounds with sand, wood chip or rubber surfacing, and Finlayson Field in Topaz Park. The City page says only certified assistance dogs are allowed in no-dog areas.
  - Source: [Animal Responsibility Bylaw 11-044 (consolidated to July 2022), s. 19(4)](https://www.victoria.ca/media/554)
  - Official wording: "all times in Pioneer Square;" … "all times in Ross Bay Cemetery;" … "from June 1 to August 31 on Gonzales Beach;" … "all times on the all-weather sports field, known as Finlayson Field, in Topaz Park."
  - Source: [Dogs in Parks, No-Dog Areas](https://www.victoria.ca/parks-recreation/our-parks/dogs-parks)
  - Official wording: "Only certified assistance dogs are allowed in the following areas; all other dogs are prohibited."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Cleaning up:** The owner must immediately remove the dog's excrement and dispose of it lawfully, in a public place or on any private property other than the owner's. Guide animals are exempt (s. 3(2)).
  - Source: [Animal Responsibility Bylaw 11-044 (consolidated to July 2022), s. 35(1)](https://www.victoria.ca/media/554)
  - Official wording: "The owner of a dog must not allow the dog to defecate" … "unless the owner immediately removes the excrement and lawfully disposes of it."
  - Source: [Dogs in Parks](https://www.victoria.ca/parks-recreation/our-parks/dogs-parks)
  - Official wording: "Pick up after your dog"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Fine, dog at large or off leash:** Bylaw notice (Bylaw 16-017): $100 for a dog in a public place without restraint (s. 19(1)) or in a prohibited place (s. 19(4)); $75 if paid within 14 days, $125 if unpaid 15 days after receipt. Municipal ticket (Bylaw 10-071): $100, or $65 if paid within 30 days.
  - Source: [Ticket Bylaw 10-071 (consolidated June 18, 2026), Schedule C](https://www.victoria.ca/media/635)
  - Official wording: "Dog in public place 19(1) $100.00 $65.00" … "Dog in prohibited 19(4) $100.00 $65.00"
  - Source: [Bylaw Notice Adjudication Bylaw 16-017, Schedule B](https://www.victoria.ca/media/2923)
  - Official wording: "19(1) Dog in public place without restraint $100.00 $25.00 $25.00" … "19(4) Dog in prohibited public place $100.00 $25.00 $25.00"
  - Source: [Dogs in Parks, Dallas Road Waterfront](https://www.victoria.ca/parks-recreation/our-parks/dogs-parks)
  - Official wording: "may face fines from $100 to $300."
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06
- **Bylaw:** Animal Responsibility Bylaw No. 11-044
  - Source: [Animal Responsibility Bylaw 11-044 (consolidated to July 2022), Title](https://www.victoria.ca/media/554)
  - Official wording: "ANIMAL RESPONSIBILITY BYLAW BYLAW NO. 11-044 This consolidation is a copy of a bylaw consolidated under the authority of"
  - Check: wording matched the official text retrieved 2026-11-06

## How it works

Under the [Animal Responsibility Bylaw 11-044](<https://www.victoria.ca/media/554>), a dog in a public place must be firmly held on a leash by a person competent to restrain it. The leash may be up to 2.4 metres, or a retractable lead up to 8 metres when fully extended.

In a leash-optional area the dog must be under effective control: in sight, and returning within three calls. The area must be open and not closed or under permit, and you may use it only at its listed times.

## Good to know

- There are 15 leash-optional park areas, each with set times in Schedule A. For example, Arbutus Park, Oswald Park and Vic West Park are all days 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Barnard Park is 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. The City's Dogs in Parks page has a map and a list.
- Dogs are banned in the dogs-prohibited part of Beacon Hill Park, Pioneer Square, Ross Bay Cemetery, Gonzales Beach from June 1 to August 31, playgrounds with sand, wood chip or rubber surfacing, and Finlayson Field in Topaz Park. The City page also lists the Beacon Hill Park heron rookery south of Goodacre Lake, and says only certified assistance dogs are allowed in no-dog areas.
- The owner must immediately remove the dog's excrement and dispose of it lawfully, in a public place or on any private property other than the owner's. Guide animals are exempt.
- A dog in a public place without restraint, or in a prohibited place: a bylaw notice (Bylaw 16-017) is $100 ($75 if paid within 14 days; $125 if unpaid 15 days after receipt). A municipal ticket (Bylaw 10-071) is $100 ($65 if paid within 30 days).
- Dangerous dogs have their own rules; see the dangerous dogs answer.

## Official forms and pages

- [Dogs in Parks (City of Victoria)](https://www.victoria.ca/parks-recreation/our-parks/dogs-parks)
- [Animal Responsibility Bylaw 11-044, Schedule A (PDF)](https://www.victoria.ca/media/554)

## Related questions

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

## The same question elsewhere

- [Dog leash rules in British Columbia, by municipality](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/dog-leash-rules.md)
- [Oak Bay](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/oak-bay/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)
- [Saanich](https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/saanich/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 in Parks, City of Victoria](https://www.victoria.ca/parks-recreation/our-parks/dogs-parks) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Animal Responsibility Bylaw 11-044 (consolidated to July 2022) (PDF)](https://www.victoria.ca/media/554) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Ticket Bylaw 10-071 (consolidated June 18, 2026), Schedule C (PDF)](https://www.victoria.ca/media/635) (read 2026-11-05)
- [Bylaw Notice Adjudication Bylaw 16-017, Schedule B (PDF)](https://www.victoria.ca/media/2923) (read 2026-11-05)

_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 City of Victoria. How answers are checked: https://govhandbook.com/methods/ · Canonical page: https://govhandbook.com/ca/bc/victoria/dog-leash-rules/_