First walks in Santa Ana.
In Santa Ana, a dog out in public wears its collar and license tag on a leash of eight feet or less - and off-leash play belongs to two 2026 dog parks - Centennial and Mabury. The city’s own rules and how we suggest starting a new dog’s first week.
The rules, in short
From the Santa Ana Municipal Code and the city’s licensing and dog park pages.
- 1Out in public: collar and current tag, leash of eight feet or less (fine print)
- 2Off-leash play: two 2026 dog parks - Centennial and Mabury
- 3Licensed once over four months - new dogs and new residents license promptly (fine print)
- 4Rabies shot first; the certificate must cover the whole license period
- 5Scoop immediately - the curb law covers any public area
- 6Misdemeanor fines start at $50 and climb with repeats
Hours, exceptions & the fine print
Santa Ana’s rule: no dog on any public street or place unless it is "wearing a collar and current license tag and is secured to and controlled by the person in charge of such dog by a leash of sufficient strength to support at least forty (40) pounds dead weight and having a length of not more than eight (8) feet" (§5-58(b)); at home, dogs stay confined in a yard or enclosure (§5-58(a)). The code carries no general exception set for the leash rule - the city instead designates dog parks for off-leash play. Violations are misdemeanors, with minimum fines of $50, then $75, then $150 for repeats within a year (§§5-3, 5-58(c)).
The first week
The same calm start we suggest everywhere - on Santa Ana’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. Santa Ana opened its first-ever dog park on April 4, 2026 - a 4.5-acre corner of Centennial Park - and a second at Mabury Park in 2026:
- 1Centennial Park Dog Park - 3000 W Edinger Ave, southwest corner of Centennial Park
- 2Mabury Dog Park - within Mabury Park, opened 2026
Centennial’s announcement describes three separate off-leash areas for small, medium and large dogs, natural turf, an agility course, a dog-rinse station, seating, restrooms and a walking path; Mabury opened with two off-leash areas. Hours are not posted on the city pages checked - follow posted signs.
Pins mark park-level locations, not exact dog-run entrances.
Good to know
Worth knowing
The license: every dog over four months is licensed. Two deadlines appear in the official sources: the code gives five days after bringing a dog into the city for a stay over a month (§5-51(b)), while the city’s current licensing page allows 15 days for a new dog, a move or a renewal - so license as soon as a dog is yours, and in any case within five days of arriving in town. Fee amounts are set by city resolution and change - check the city’s current licensing page; licensing is handled online, by mail or in person. Rabies comes first: no license without a certificate valid for the whole license period, and keeping an unvaccinated dog over four months is unlawful (§§5-54, 5-55; a vet-exempted dog stays in a securely enclosed yard, never out on leash). The tag is permanent and stays on the collar (§5-52). Santa Ana also caps homes at three dogs, and the curb law means scooping immediately in any public area (§5-77).
Sources
Sources: Santa Ana Municipal Code, Chapter 5 Animals (§5-58 at large; §5-51-55 license and rabies; §5-77 curbing; §5-3 penalties): library.municode.com. City dog license page (fees, 15-day rule); city dog park opening announcement. Pins: named map places (park level). Mabury opening per the mayor’s August 2026 newsletter and the ward 3 September 2026 newsletter. All verified November 2, 2026.
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