First walks in San Jose.
San Jose sets the leash at six feet on streets, sidewalks and trails - up to twenty feet in parks and open space, never on trails, if you keep real control. The city’s own rules, its 12 official dog parks, and how we suggest starting a new dog’s first week.
The rules, in short
From the San Jose Code and the Parks department’s own pages.
- 1Leash max 6 ft on streets, sidewalks and trails
- 2Up to 20 ft in parks and open space, with direct physical control
- 3Off-leash only in posted off-leash areas
- 4Keep to the right on trails
- 5Pick up after your dog, immediately
- 6City license and rabies vaccination
Hours, exceptions & the fine print
The 20-foot exception (7.40.040) requires enough control that your dog could not touch a person or animal without consent - and it never applies on trails. Posted off-leash areas (7.40.050) require a handler 13 or older, no more than two dogs per person, dogs at least four months old, vaccinated and licensed, a leash in hand outside the fence, and waste removed promptly. Letting a dog stray or run at large anywhere public is unlawful (7.40.030).
The first week
The same calm start we suggest everywhere - on San Jose’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 department lists 12 dog parks:
- 1Butcher Dog Park - Camden Ave & Lancaster Dr, 95124
- 2Delmas Dog Park - 200 Delmas Ave, 95110, fenced and double-gated
- 3Jeffrey Fontana Dog Park - 1241 Golden Oak Wy, 95120
- 4Miyuki Dog Park - Autotech Wy & Miyuki Dr, 95119, the city’s first
- 5Raleigh Linear Dog Park - Raleigh Rd, 95123
- 6Ryland Dog Park - 190 Ryland St, 95110, under the bridge downtown
- 7Saratoga Creek Dog Park - Doyle Rd & Lassen Ave, 95129
- 8Selma Olinder Dog Park - 848 William St, 95116, separate small-dog area
- 9St. James Dog Park - N 2nd St & E St James St, 95112
- 10Tully Dog Park - 800 Tully Rd, 95111, small and large areas
- 11Watson Dog Park - Jackson Ave & 22nd St, 95116
- 12Welch Dog Park - Clarice Dr & Huran Dr, 95122, separate small-dog area
Santa Clara County runs a separate off-leash area at Hellyer County Park (vehicle entry fee, closed Wednesdays) - not a city park.
Pins mark the park or its listed access point, not the exact off-leash boundary.
Good to know
Worth knowing
The city’s posted dog-park rules: dogs accompanied at all times, no more than two per person, proof of license and vaccinations worn, no dogs in heat, aggressive dogs leave. Adult dogs must be licensed (7.20.520) and vaccinated against rabies from four months (7.20.500).
Sources
Sources: San Jose Code 7.40.030 (at-large), 7.40.040 (restraint, six-foot leash, 20-foot park exception), 7.40.050 (posted off-leash areas): library.municode.com Ch. 7.40. Licensing and vaccination, 7.20.500 and 7.20.520: library.municode.com Ch. 7.20. City of San Jose Parks, Dog Parks (the 12 parks and posted rules): sanjoseca.gov dog parks. All verified November 2, 2026.
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