First walks in Sacramento.
Sacramento asks for a leash of eight feet or less away from home, and off-leash only inside a fenced city dog park. The city’s own rules, its official dog park list, and how we suggest starting a new dog’s first week.
The rules, in short
From the city’s Off-Leash Dog Parks page and City Code §§ 9.44.020, 9.44.230.
- 1Leashed away from home - eight feet at most
- 2Off-leash only inside a designated fenced dog park
- 3Current license, on the collar, on the dog
- 4Pick up after your dog
- 5City dog parks are fenced, with double gates
Hours, exceptions & the fine print
The posted dog park rules add: at most two dogs per handler, aggressive dogs are removed, children under 14 come with an adult, and female dogs in season stay home. Licenses are for city-limits residents through Front Street Animal Shelter; county residents license with Bradshaw.
The first week
The same calm start we suggest everywhere - on Sacramento’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 lists 15 fenced dog parks - four of them:
- 1Truitt Bark Park - 1818 Q St
- 2Sutter’s Landing Park - 20 28th St
- 3North Natomas Regional Park - 2501 New Market Dr
- 4Partner Park - 5699 South Land Park Dr
The other eleven - Barandas, Blackbird, Glenbrook, Granite Regional, Jacinto Creek, Lynn Robie, Olympians, Regency, Tanzanite, University Avenue and Valley Oak - are in the city’s list under Good to know, most with addresses.
Pins mark the park or its listed access point, not the exact off-leash boundary.
Good to know
Worth knowing
The city code’s “at large” definition sets the eight-foot leash limit and counts a dog off its owner’s premises without restraint as at large, a public nuisance. Pickup is required on public property too, with a service-dog exemption. The license fee schedule changed July 1, 2026 - the city’s Pet Licenses page has current pricing.
Sources
Sources: City of Sacramento, “Off-Leash Dog Parks” (list and rules): cityofsacramento.gov/ypce/parks/specialty-parks/dog-parks.html. City of Sacramento, “Pet Licenses”: cityofsacramento.gov/community-development/animal-care/pet-licenses.html. Sacramento City Code §§ 9.44.020, 9.44.230: codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/sacramentoca.
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