DC Dog Parks and Dog Exercise Areas: Rules and How They Work

Before your first visit

A dog park can look simple: a fence, a gate and a lot of happy dogs. In DC it is also a place with written rules, and the person holding the leash at the gate is the one responsible for following them. That is true whether it is you, a friend or a dog walker you hire.

Everywhere else on public space in DC, your dog must be on a leash no longer than six feet. Our DC leash and dog waste rules guide explains that rule; this guide covers the fenced areas where the leash comes off.

What counts as a DC dog park

DC Code § 8-1810.02 lets the Mayor set up dog parks on District-owned parkland where a dog "under the verbal command of a responsible adult may exercise off-leash." The law requires a fence and gate at least five feet high, and the DC dog park rules in 19 DCMR 731.7 add a double-gated entry. DPR says its dog parks are marked by DPR-approved signs, and that fenced areas meant for other uses, such as ball fields, are not dog parks.

DPR keeps a list of its dog parks by ward on its Dog Parks page. In Ward 5, it lists Langdon at 2901 20th Street NE, close to Woodridge, and Alethia Tanner Park at R Street NE and the Metropolitan Branch Trail, south of Edgewood. DPR's applications page also lists a proposed Edgewood Dog Park at 3rd and Evarts Streets NE as approved, though it is not on the list of open parks, so check DPR before you go.

The posted rules, in plain words

The operating rules are in 19 DCMR 735, issued in 2007. The ones most handlers run into are below. Each park also posts its own signs, which DPR asks you to follow.

• Tags. Each dog must wear a current vaccination tag, a current DC registration (license) tag and a current dog park registration tag from DC Health (735.5). DPR's summary says all dogs using a dog park must be licensed and registered in DC.
• Leash on, leash off. Keep your dog leashed until you are inside and from the moment you leave. Inside, the rule asks you to take the leash off unless no other dogs are present, which helps prevent tension between leashed and loose dogs (735.6).
• Age and heat. No dog under four months old (735.10) and no female dog in heat (735.11).
• Three dogs per handler. A handler may not have more than three dogs in a dog park at one time (735.9).
• Handlers. A handler must be at least 16. Children under 16 may enter only with an adult who supervises them (735.3, 735.4).
• Control. Stay with your dog, keep it in sight and under voice control (735.8). Control excessive barking (735.15). No spike or choke collars inside (735.12).
• Waste. Bag all solid waste and put it in the park's on-site bin (735.7).
• Aggression and bites. Leash and remove an aggressive dog right away (735.13). Dogs designated dangerous or potentially dangerous are not allowed (735.14). Report every animal bite to DC Health within 24 hours (735.16).

Hours, crowding and who runs each park

Under 19 DCMR 731.4 and 731.5, a dog park is open seven days a week during the posted hours of its park, and a lighted dog park may not stay open later than 10 p.m. DPR's summary says parks on the grounds of a DPR facility keep that facility's hours, and parks without lights are open dawn to dusk. Closures are posted at the entrances, ahead of time when they are planned (731.6).

Each park has a posted carrying capacity. When a park is full and others are waiting, 19 DCMR 735.1 asks handlers to limit their stay to 30 minutes. The rules also say handlers use dog parks at their own risk (731.8).

Many DC dog parks are run by DPR in partnership with a community sponsor group. Under 19 DCMR 734.1, complaints about a specific park go to its sponsoring group first, and DPR can step in to mediate if the issue is not settled within 30 days. To propose a new park, DPR asks neighbors to submit its Dog Park Application, and the law requires public notice and a chance for public comment before a site is chosen.

Dog walkers in DC dog parks

DC's rules say no one may use a dog park for a commercial purpose, with one exception: dog walkers handling three or fewer registered dogs (19 DCMR 731.3). Combined with the three-dogs-per-handler rule, that sets the limit for any walker who brings dogs into a DC dog park, whatever size the walk is outside it.

Danny's Pet Care says Danny organizes pack walks and takes dogs to dog parks to socialize, as our About page describes. Our post on dog group walks in Washington, DC explains how dogs are paired by temperament and energy level. If you hire any walker for park time, ask whether your dog's tags are current and how many dogs they bring in at once.

When to leave, and when a park is the wrong fit

DPR asks owners not to bring a dog that acts aggressively with other dogs. Many trainers and sitters also watch for a dog that hides, tucks its tail, gets chased without a break, or guards toys or water, and they leave early rather than wait for a scuffle. Leaving on a calm note is usually better than staying until something goes wrong.

A dog park is not for every dog. Puppies under four months are barred, and a dog that is fearful, recovering, elderly or reactive may do better on a leashed walk. Our comparison of a dog park and a leashed neighborhood walk helps you decide, and our guide to licensing your dog in DC covers the license your dog needs first. If a leashed walk suits your dog better, our dog walking service page and service areas page explain what we offer and where.