Los Angeles Dog Leash Laws

As those of you who read these pages know, I’m passionate about representing injured victims in Southern California. This includes those who suffered dog bites.

I reported to you in July that California leads the nation in dog bites against United States Post Office mail carriers. 675 letter carriers were bitten by dogs in the Golden State in 2022.

Earlier this week, two men were mauled by a pit-bull in Woodland Hills. The dog’s owner absconded.

And while many would write this incident off as just another pit-bull misbehaving, a recent study suggests that it’s not necessarily the specific dog breed that is predisposed to biting others. I’m sure more experts will weigh in on this issue as time goes on.

With this in mind, it’s important to remember Los Angeles’s leash laws. The Municipal Code requires dog owners (or anyone with control of the dog such as a dog walker) to restrain the dog on a leash that does not exceed 6 feet. Other adjacent cities such as Long Beach have similar rules.

We’ve all seen dog owners walking their dogs in the early morning or evening, letting their dog(s) run free. It may give the dog more freedom, but it’s illegal. Using a proper leash can go a long way to preventing a dog bite or worse.

As a reminder, California is a strict-liability state for dog owners. This means that a dog owner is legally responsible for a dog bite even if it’s the first time. It’s an important issue, as studies show that 1 in 4 adults will have suffered a dog bite at some point in his or her lifetime.

If you were injured by a dog bite, whether it was on the leash or not, feel free to give my office a call. This issue is personal to me—my own daughter was attacked by a dog when she was just 5 years-old by a dog who was off-leash.

For questions about your case, my office is ready to assist, 24/6.