A Dog’s Guide to Central Park
Visiting Central Park with your dog? There are a few rules in place to help everyone enjoy their time and stay safe.
Visiting Central Park with your dog? Discover the perfect locations for your pup and remember some simple rules to help everyone enjoy their time and stay safe.
Central Park is a haven for urban pups. There are just a few rules to help everyone—humans and animals alike—enjoy their time and stay safe.
These guidelines ensure fun for your dog while protecting wildlife and essential ecosystems, including the Park’s garden beds, tree root zones, and lawns.
DOG RULES
City-wide dog rules and regulations, outlined by NYC Parks.
- Dogs must always be under the control of their owner.
- Dogs must have a NYC license tag and valid rabies tag.
- Dogs must not dig, chase, or harm wildlife; damage Park property; or interfere with other Park users.
- Always clean up after your dog, including dog hair that you brush off in the Park.
- Please respect signs, fences, and red flags that may indicate temporary closure due to restoration, maintenance, or weather conditions.
Please respect all other human and animal Park visitors and remember to pick up after your dog, taking your baggie to the nearest trash bin. Some areas of the Park are carry-in and carry-out, so if there are no trash bins nearby when you are walking your dog, please carry your baggie to the next trash can. Please do not leave baggies in landscapes, on benches, or hanging from fences or branches.
LEASH HOURS AND LOCATIONS
Dogs must be leashed in Central Park from 9:00 am–9:00 pm daily.
Off-leash hours in Central Park are from 6:00 am–9:00 am and 9:00 pm–1:00 am.
Please note: Dogs must always be leashed in the following locations, even during off-leash hours.
- Arthur Ross Pinetum West (Mid-Park between 84th and 86th Streets)
- Bridle Path (Loop surrounding the Reservoir)
- Peter Jay Sharp Children’s Glade (West Side between 103rd and 106th Streets)
- Conservatory Garden (East Side between 104th and 106th Streets)
- Kerbs Boathouse Plaza (East Side at 74th Street)
- North Woods (Mid-Park between 101st and 110th Streets)
- The Ramble (Mid-Park between 73rd and 79th Street)
- Shakespeare Garden (West Side at 79th Street)
- Strawberry Fields (West Side between 71st and 74th Street)
- Central Park Drives
- Other areas with posted signs requiring dogs to be leashed Where Dogs Are Not Allowed in Central Park
Dogs are welcome across most of the Park’s 843 acres. The following areas are off-limits to preserve their delicate landscapes or to protect your pup and other Park visitors:
- Great Lawn Oval
- Hallett Nature Sanctuary
- Stephanie and Fred Shuman Running Track
- Sheep Meadow
- All ballfields and recreational courts
- All playgrounds
- All sand and volleyball courts
- All water bodies, streams, and ornamental fountains
- Elm Islands at the Mall
- The green at the Davis Center
- Visitor Centers
- North Meadow
- East Meadow
OFF-LEASH LOCAL FAVORITES
Off-leash hours in Central Park are from 6:00 am–9:00 am and 9:00 pm–1:00 am.
The Only Places Your Pup Isn’t Allowed
While there are plenty of places in the Park (it’s an abundant 843 acres, after all) that are fair game for fetch, the following locations are always off limits to dogs for the safety of our visitors, wildlife, and landscapes.
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Follow local dog Moses on a tour through some of his favorite spots in the Park's north end!