Dog walking rules in public places in India
Updated By PetymFacts checked against official sources on
Quick answer
No single national law sets leash or poop rules for dogs in India: cities set them. Delhi's MCD fines Rs 500 for not scooping, Gurugram requires a leash outside the home and a poo bag, and Noida requires a leash at all times. AWBI says parks cannot ban leashed dogs walked by adults (checked 21 October 2026).
Everywhere, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act makes it an offence for an owner to neglect to exercise a dog that is habitually chained or confined, and AWBI has told local bodies that nobody can stop owners taking pets out for their walks.
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Is it compulsory to leash a dog in public in India?
| What | The rule | Source |
|---|---|---|
| National law | None on leashes or waste. The PCA Act makes neglecting to exercise a dog "habitually chained up or kept in close confinement" an offence (section 11(1)(g)). | Animal Welfare Board of India |
| AWBI, housing societies (2015) | "Leashing of pets in public places is advisable"; owners "must leash their pets in all common areas". | Animal Welfare Board of India |
| AWBI, public parks (2016) | Leashed dogs walked by adults are not to be banned from parks; the leash should be no longer than six feet. | Animal Welfare Board of India |
| Gurugram (MCG, 2026) | The dog "is always kept on a leash whenever taken outside the owner's premises", and the owner carries a poo bag. | Municipal Corporation Gurugram |
| Noida (2022 policy) | Pets must be walked on a leash outside the home at all times; fines of Rs 100, Rs 200 and Rs 500 for letting a dog loose or foul public places. | Noida Authority |
| Delhi (MCD) | Owners "shall scoop the poop"; each lapse attracts a Rs 500 penalty. | Municipal Corporation of Delhi |
Can a park ban dogs in India?
Not a leashed dog walked by an adult, in AWBI's guidelines for public parks.
Word for word
The entry of pet dogs into parks, and their being exercised in them, will not therefore be banned if the dogs are duly leashed and being walked by adults.
The same guidelines let parks set reasonable morning and evening timings for dog walks, say signboards stating "Dogs / pets are strictly prohibited in the park" ought to be removed, and ask owners to bring scoops and pick up their dog's excreta. Park authorities "cannot insist on the use of muzzles", though owners may muzzle a dog voluntarily. AWBI wrote them for Delhi's DDA, adding that "All RWAs should be required to do the same." They are advice under the PCA Act, not a statute.
What are the dog walking rules in each city?
Quoted from each body's own text. A blank means the document Petym read does not address it, not that anything goes.
| Leash | Cleaning up | Penalty stated | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delhi (MCD) Municipal Corporation of Delhi | No aggressive dog to roam free without a muzzle in public | "shall scoop the poop instant" | Rs 500 per lapse |
| Mumbai (BMC) Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Veterinary Health Department | Advised in public; on a leash for walks and around children | Owners, care-givers or dog walkers must clean up | Not stated |
| Gurugram (MCG) Municipal Corporation Gurugram | Always, outside the owner's premises | Carry a poo bag; collect and dispose of excreta | Action under section 311 and BNS section 291 |
| Noida Authority Noida Authority | At all times outside the home | Owner's responsibility | Rs 100, Rs 200, then Rs 500 |
| Ghaziabad Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam | Never leave the dog unattended in a park, street or road | No open defecation on roads, streets or parks | Not stated |
| AWBI parks guidelines Animal Welfare Board of India | Six feet at most | Bring scoops; bin the excreta | Advice, no penalty |
Bengaluru, Pune, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad pages Petym read do not publish a separate leash or waste rule for pet dogs; check your corporation's current bye-laws.
What should you carry on a dog walk in an Indian city?
Each item answers a rule above, or the question a guard or neighbour is most likely to ask.
- A leash no longer than six feet, the length AWBI's park guidelines name Animal Welfare Board of India
- Poop bags or a scoop: Gurugram's order says the owner carries a poo bag Municipal Corporation Gurugram
- The registration token on the collar, where your city issues one (Delhi, Gurugram, Hyderabad) Municipal Corporation of Delhi
- A muzzle for a dog that needs one: MCD bars an aggressive dog roaming free without one Municipal Corporation of Delhi
- Drinking water for the dog on hot days, and a towel in the monsoon
- Your phone with the owner's and the vet's numbers, if you are walking someone else's dog
Can anyone stop you from walking your dog?
No: AWBI has told local bodies that stopping pets from going out for nature's calls and exercise is itself an offence.
AWBI's circular of 1 June 2020, sent to every state's Chief Secretary during the COVID-19 lockdown, said that "the animal owners need to take their animal out from their home and no body cannot stop these animals", and that keeping a dog constrained without walks is cruelty under section 11(1)(g) of the PCA Act. It asked local bodies to set walking slots and to act against anyone stopping owners.
The circular was written for the pandemic, but the law it rests on was not. Section 11(1)(g) makes it an offence for an owner to neglect to exercise a dog kept chained or confined, and AWBI's 2015 guidelines warn associations that a dog which is not exercised "may exhibit aggressive conduct in frustration".
What a society or park can do is set reasonable timings. Both AWBI's 2015 guidelines and BMC's 2025 guidelines suggest fixing walk times by consensus, and the 2016 park guidelines let timings change with the season.
What are the dos and don'ts of walking a dog in public?
Do
- Keep the dog leashed in common areas and on streets Animal Welfare Board of India
- Pick up after the dog every time, and bin it Animal Welfare Board of India
- Keep the dog away from strays and other animals; BMC asks owners to ensure their pet is not aggressive towards strays Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Veterinary Health Department
- Train basic commands such as sit, stay, leave and come, as AWBI's 2025 SOP advises Animal Welfare Board of India
Don’t
- Do not let children under 18 walk a dog in public without an adult (BMC) Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Veterinary Health Department
- Do not let the dog roam loose in a park, street or road (Ghaziabad, Noida, Gurugram) Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam
- Do not leave a muzzle on for long or without supervision: AWBI says that breaches the PCA Act Animal Welfare Board of India
- Do not walk a dog with a contagious disease in the street: section 11(1)(j) of the PCA Act Animal Welfare Board of India
What if someone objects to your dog walk?
Most objections are settled by the rule itself. Know which one applies before the conversation starts.
If a guard says dogs are not allowed in the society garden
AWBI's 2015 guidelines call banning pets from gardens short-sighted and suggest timings agreed by residents instead. Ask the committee to fix walk times rather than a ban. Animal Welfare Board of India
If a park board says "Dogs strictly prohibited"
AWBI's 2016 guidelines say such boards ought to be removed and timings set instead. Write to the park authority quoting the guidelines; until it acts, walk elsewhere. Animal Welfare Board of India
If someone demands you muzzle a calm dog
Park authorities and associations cannot insist on muzzles under AWBI's guidelines. Keep the dog leashed and close, and move on. Animal Welfare Board of India
If a neighbour complains about mess on the pavement
Clean it up at once. In Delhi each lapse can cost Rs 500, and in Noida Rs 100 to Rs 500. Municipal Corporation of Delhi
What it means for owners
Follow your city's leash and clean-up rule, which may be stricter than AWBI's advice, and keep the token on.
AWBI calls leashing in public "advisable", but Gurugram and Noida make it compulsory, and Delhi fines owners who do not clean up. Where a city has written a rule, that rule binds you; AWBI's guidelines are the floor, not the ceiling.
If your dog bites someone while out, the owner pays. MCD's terms make the owner responsible for compensation and the victim's anti-rabies treatment, Noida's policy makes the owner bear the treatment cost, and Gurugram's order points to section 291 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The dog bite page explains each.
A walk is also when most neighbours meet your dog. A leashed, quiet dog whose owner carries bags is the best answer to a committee that wants to restrict walks, and it keeps the timings AWBI suggests a matter of agreement rather than dispute.
What it means for sitters
A sitter or dog walker is held to the same rules as the owner, and in Mumbai the guidelines say so by name.
BMC's 2025 guidelines say pet owners "or their care-givers or dog walkers must ensure that when their pet defecates in public premises, the same is cleaned up by them", and AWBI's 2015 guidelines use the same words for "the other care-givers or dog walkers". Gurugram's order applies to anyone "having custody" of a dog. A Petym sitter or walker carries the bags and the leash on every walk.
The pet's plan says how long and how often to walk, and the sitter logs each walk as it happens. A dog that pulls, reacts to other dogs or slips its collar is noted at the meet and greet, so the sitter can bring the right harness and pick quieter times.
Under the PCA Act, "owner" includes the person in custody of the animal, so a sitter answers for the dog's welfare during the walk. In an emergency, such as a bite, a fight with a stray or heatstroke, the sitter calls the owner and takes the dog to the nearest 24-hour vet on the city's list.
Going away soon? Tell us your dates.
A checked local sitter feeds, walks and keeps your pet company at home, follows your care sheet to the letter and sends a photo every day. Petym is opening city by city: send your dates and we will tell you when a sitter can take them.
- Meet your sitter first, free
- PAN-checked, first-aid trained
- A photo every day
- Pay through Petym, never cash
Questions owners ask
Is there a fine for not picking up dog poop in India?
- In some cities. MCD Delhi's pet registration terms set a Rs 500 penalty for each lapse in scooping, and Noida Authority's 2022 policy fines Rs 100, Rs 200 and then Rs 500 for letting a dog foul public places. India has no national fine.
Can my society or park ban dogs from the garden?
- AWBI's 2016 park guidelines say leashed dogs walked by adults should not be banned from parks, though timings may be set, and its 2015 guidelines call banning pets from gardens short-sighted. These are AWBI's advice under the PCA Act rather than a statute.
How long can a dog leash be in a park?
- AWBI's guidelines for pet dogs in public parks, dated 15 November 2016, say pets must be leashed on a leash no longer than six feet. They add that park authorities cannot insist on muzzles, though owners may muzzle a dog voluntarily.
Does my dog have to wear a muzzle in public?
- Not generally. AWBI says muzzles are for exceptional situations judged by a vet. MCD Delhi bars an aggressive dog roaming free without one, and Gurugram's 2026 order asks for a leash and muzzle outside the home for the breeds named in the centre's 2024 letter.
Can a pet sitter be fined if a client's dog fouls the street?
- City rules are written for owners, but Mumbai's BMC guidelines say care-givers and dog walkers must clean up too, and the PCA Act treats anyone with custody of an animal as its owner. A sitter should clean up exactly as the owner would.
Can my child walk our dog alone in Mumbai?
- Not under BMC's 2025 guidelines, which say children below 18 must not walk or handle pets in public spaces without adult supervision. AWBI's park guidelines likewise speak of dogs being walked by adults.
Keep reading
- Dog bite rules in IndiaOwner liability, BNS section 291 and first steps.
- Pets in housing societiesLeash and lift rules inside a society.
- Banned dog breeds in IndiaThe 2024 list, the muzzle rule and the courts.
- Feeding community dogsWhat the Supreme Court has ordered on feeding.
- Pet registration in IndiaLicences and the collar token.
- Gurugram dog registrationMCG's 2026 order in full.
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Sources
Each source was opened and read on the date shown. How Petym checks its sources
- Animal Welfare Board of India: The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, as amended in 1982 (AWBI's copy) (opens in a new tab)
- Animal Welfare Board of India: Guidelines on pet and street dogs, their care-givers, and residents' welfare and apartment owners' associations (26 February 2015) (opens in a new tab)
- Animal Welfare Board of India: Guidelines for allowing pet dogs in public parks (15 Nov 2016; scanned, OCR'd) (opens in a new tab)
- Animal Welfare Board of India: Circular and guidelines for pet owners (1 June 2020) (opens in a new tab)
- Municipal Corporation Gurugram: Office order on registration and control of pet dogs (23 June 2026) (opens in a new tab)
- Noida Authority: Press release on the Authority's policy for pet dogs (in Hindi; policy in force from 12 December 2022) (opens in a new tab)
Show all 11 sourcesShow fewer
- Municipal Corporation of Delhi: Terms and conditions for registration of pet dog (opens in a new tab)
- Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Veterinary Health Department: Guidelines with respect to pet and street dogs, feeders, RWAs, AOAs and public institutions (signed 20 March 2025) (opens in a new tab)
- Ghaziabad Nagar Nigam: Dog licence terms and conditions (opens in a new tab)
- Animal Welfare Board of India: SOP for prevention of dog bites and management of stray dogs in institutional premises (27 November 2025) (opens in a new tab)
- Animal Welfare Board of India: Guidelines for the use of muzzles on dogs and care of community dogs (letter dated 16 August 2022) (opens in a new tab)