First walks in Baltimore.
In Baltimore, a dog off your property stays on a leash under the control of a capable handler, with off-leash play reserved for the city’s approved dog parks. The city’s own rules and how we suggest starting a new dog’s first week.
The rules, in short
From the Baltimore City Health Code, the park rules, and the city’s own pages.
- 1Off your property: a leash, with a capable handler
- 2Off-leash play: areas the city approves - the five dog parks
- 3In city parks: a leash of six feet or less
- 4License from four months - tag worn whenever the dog is out
- 5Rabies shot first - keep the certificate
- 6Pick up immediately - and carry the means to do it
Hours, exceptions & the fine print
Baltimore’s Health Code says a dog off its owner’s property must be restrained - on a leash or confined - and under the control of a person capable of controlling it (10-504, 10-307). The code sets no leash-length cap; the one written exception is an off-leash activity approved by the Health Commissioner, or an area and hours approved by the Director of Recreation and Parks - the dog parks below. Inside city parks the park rules add a length: a dog may enter only if "continuously restrained by a leash not exceeding six (6) feet in length," and may be unrestrained only in areas the Department designates as "Dog Parks" (BCRP park rules). Breaking Title 10 is a misdemeanor - a fine of up to $1,000 per offense, with each day a violation continues counted as a separate offense (10-1102).
The first week
The same calm start we suggest everywhere - on Baltimore’s streets.
- 1Leash, quiet streets, short and sniffy - calm hours, near home, ending before your dog is wound up. An off-leash area is not day-one material for a brand-new dog.
- 2Sniffing is the point - let your dog pause and sniff instead of focusing on distance. More on the sniff walk.
- 3Settle first, explore later - more on the first days: a routine for a newly adopted dog and a calm start to every walk.
The dog parks, for later
Once your dog has settled. Baltimore’s own asset inventory lists five dog parks, all in service:
- 1Canton Dog Park - Canton Soccer Park, 3201 Toone St, by the waterfront - separate small and large dog sides, water on site
- 2Latrobe Dog Park - Latrobe Park, 1529 E Fort Ave, Locust Point - turf surface, water on site
- 3Burdick Dog Park - Burdick Park, 6300 Walther Ave - separate small and large dog sides, water on site
- 4Patterson Dog Park - Patterson Park, 200 S Linwood Ave - separate small and large dog sides, turf and water on site
- 5Howard Street Dog Park - Howard’s Park, 310 W Centre St - separate small and large dog sides, turf and water on site
These five are the dog parks in the city’s own asset inventory - the same roster behind the "5 dog parks" on the Recreation and Parks page, and all five are listed in service. Inside a designated dog park the leash comes off under the posted park rules; everywhere else the restraint rule applies.
Pins mark the park or its listed access point, not the exact off-leash boundary.
Good to know
Worth knowing
Every dog four months and older needs a city license - within 10 days of turning four months or coming home - with a rabies vaccination first, so keep the certificate (10-201 and the city’s licensing page). The license comes with an ID tag, and a dog outdoors at any time must be wearing it (10-204, 10-207). Licenses renew annually: $10 a year for an altered dog, $30 unaltered, half price for owners 65 and over, free for disability service animals, and a $100 lifetime license for an altered, microchipped dog (10-202 and the city’s posted fee schedule; the city’s licensing contractor lists the same amounts). Waste: carry something to pick up with and remove your dog’s feces immediately, on any property public or private - and never into a storm drain (10-313); that section exempts government working animals and professionally trained service animals being used for their purpose.
Sources
Sources: Baltimore City Health Code Title 10: 10-307 and 10-504 (restraint and at-large), 10-201, 10-202, 10-204, 10-205, 10-207 (licensing, fees, tags), 10-313 (waste), 10-1102 (penalties): codes.baltimorecity.gov. Fee schedule (Board of Estimates); BCRP park rules (22.08); city licensing page; PetData license fees. Dog-park roster: BCRP (“5 dog parks”) via the city’s interactive park map (BCRP asset inventory). All verified November 2, 2026.
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