Our Dog Rules
Some dog rules change for summer: It's crucial to be in the know and observe our local dog bylaw rules.
1️⃣ Look for our traffic light signs to understand the rules.
2️⃣ The default rule is that dogs are to be kept on a lead.
Our district wide rules
Dogs in urban areas: Dogs must always be kept on lead while in urban areas like town centres and roads. Our friendly Compliance Officers enforce this simple rule and are often able to provide leads to dog walkers who don’t have one on them.
Dogs on playgrounds and sports surfaces: Dogs should never be within a children's playground or on a sports surface. Our rules state dogs are prohibited from these areas at all times.
Dogs on beaches: Dogs are generally allowed off-leash on our beaches but we do have restrictions for certain areas at different times of the year. Please look for signs at beach access ways that will indicate if a restriction is in place, and whether that restriction allows for on-leash dogs or prohibits them for a period of time.
Dog poo: Please remember that it is your responsibility to clean up your dogs’ droppings if they leave something behind in a public space. Take a few poo bags with you on walks or take advantage of our free poo bag dispensers in some of our districts most popular dog walking areas
Our area specific rules
Our Council makes it easy to stay up to date with the rules at your favourite spot. Look for these signs when you take a walk and ensure you stick to rules for the area.
Green signs denote exercise areas: You can have your dog off-leash but it must remain under control at all times. These areas are generally beaches, but the following spots have areas allocated for exercise.
- WW1 Memorial Forest, Coromandel Town
- Patukirikiri Reserve, Coromandel Town
- Purangi Reserve, Cooks Beach
- Pye Place Reserve, Hot Water Beach
- Omara Boat Ramp Reserve, Matarangi
- Robinson Road Reserve, Whitianga
- Pleasant Point Reserve, Pauanui
- South End Reserve, Pauanui
- Burke Street Reserve, Thames
- Hetherington Road Reserve, Whangamata
- Park Avenue Reserve, Whangamata
- Patiki Bay Reserve, Whangamata
Orange signs denote on leash areas: Your dog must remain on leash for times noted on the sign. This is most often temporary and in place at beaches during the summer period from 20 December to 31 January & holiday weekends, from 9am to 6pm. There are a small number of beaches where there is a temporary on leash rule during the nesting season for the protection of wildlife. We also have some beach areas where dogs must be on leash all year round.
Red signs denote prohibited areas: This means no dogs at all. Most beach area prohibitions are either during the dotterel nesting season from Labour Weekend to 1 March, or over the summer period and holiday weekends. We also have areas that are prohibited all year round.
Summaries of the rules by area
The most important rule to remember is that dogs must be on a lead unless specified otherwise. So, when in doubt, put your dog on a lead. To help you understand the local rules, below is a summary of the rules for each Community Board area:
For information on dog access to conservation land check www.doc.govt.nz.