EAST LANSING, Mich. — During last night’s East Lansing City Council meeting, City Council unanimously approved Ordinance No. 1481, which no longer permits the use of electronic dog leashes in the East Lansing community. The newly approved ordinance will go into effect 30 days after its adoption date.
The ordinance amends Chapter 4 of the East Lansing City Code to mirror the City’s current regulation that only allows for physical dog leashes to be used in City parks. With the ordinance’s approval, owners will be required to have their dog on a physical leash that does not exceed eight feet in length in all public spaces in the community, including sidewalks, streets, parks (excluding the Northern Tail Dog Park) and other public property.
“Requiring owners to use physical leashes helps to protect the health and safety of their pet and the public,” said East Lansing Police Department (ELPD) Deputy Chief Steve Gonzalez.
Over the next 30 days, ELPD plans to make contact with dog owners to educate them about the new ordinance and to share with them that they are planning to increase enforcement of the City’s dog leash ordinances in response to a growing number of complaints from community members.
Those who are found to be in violation of the City Code could receive fines of up to $250. The fines for the first, second and third offense are $25, $50 and $250 respectively. Community members are also reminded that they are required to clean up after their dogs in public spaces per the City Code (Section 4-5).