First walks in Fort Worth.
Fort Worth asks that dogs stay on leash and with you any time they are off your property, and off-leash only in the city’s dog parks. The city’s own rules, the official dog park list, and how we suggest starting a new dog’s first week.
The rules, in short
From the Fort Worth Code and the city’s own pages.
- 1On leash and with you anywhere off your property
- 2Off-leash only in the city’s dog parks
- 3Rabies vaccination by four months
- 4City license by four months
- 5Spayed or neutered, or an intact-pet permit
- 6Pick up after your dog
Hours, exceptions & the fine print
Fort Worth’s license renews annually or every three years depending on your dog’s microchip and vaccination schedule. Females over six months and males over eight months must be spayed or neutered unless you hold an intact-pet permit. Tethering an unattended dog is banned outright - the dog park is the exception.
The first week
The same calm start we suggest everywhere - on Fort Worth’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. The city’s Parks page lists six dog parks:
- 1Bark Park at First Flight - 2700 Mercedes Ave, small dogs
- 2Calhound Dog Park - 1900 S Main St, near South Main
- 3Fire Station Dog Park - 1601 Lipscomb St, Fairmount
- 4Fort Woof Dog Park - 751 Beach St, Gateway Park
- 5Palmilla Springs Dog Park - Chapel Creek Blvd, west side
- 6ZBonz Dog Park - 5500 Old Benbrook Rd, 10 acres
The city posts no hours for its dog parks - follow the posted sign on site. ZBonz is the big one: ten fenced acres on a former golf course with separate seven- and three-acre sections; Fort Woof has 3.4 acres for large dogs and 1.6 for small.
Pins mark the park or its listed access point, not the exact off-leash boundary.
Good to know
Worth knowing
The restraint ordinance (6-13) sets no leash-length limit: off your property your dog must be on a leash and accompanied by you at all times, or it counts as unrestrained. At home the yard fence must be at least 48 inches. The waste rule is a Class C misdemeanor: no discharging or accumulating animal waste on public or private property. Rabies vaccination comes first at four months, and the license follows it.
Sources
Sources: Fort Worth Code 6-13 (restraint): codelibrary.amlegal.com 6-13. City of Fort Worth, Animal Control Laws (leash, rabies, license, spay-neuter, waste): fortworthtexas.gov animal control laws. City of Fort Worth, Dog Parks (the six parks): fortworthtexas.gov dog parks. All verified November 2, 2026.
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