Guide
Dog Parks in the USA
A dog park is an area where dogs can run and play, often with a fence. What each park offers varies: some are fenced, some have water, some have a separate area for small dogs, and the rules for off-leash use differ. This guide lists 7,673 public dog parks in the listed states and shows where each feature comes from.
Dog parks by feature
51 listed
Dog parks by state
- Alabama77 parks, 0 cities with 10+
- Alaska17 parks, 0 cities with 10+
- Arizona256 parks, 3 cities with 10+
- Arkansas63 parks, 0 cities with 10+
- California794 parks, 4 cities with 10+
- Colorado265 parks, 3 cities with 10+
- Connecticut65 parks, 0 cities with 10+
- Delaware25 parks, 0 cities with 10+
- District of Columbia32 parks, 1 cities with 10+
- Florida542 parks, 2 cities with 10+
- Georgia216 parks, 1 cities with 10+
- Hawaii15 parks, 0 cities with 10+
- Idaho57 parks, 1 cities with 10+
- Illinois254 parks, 1 cities with 10+
- Indiana119 parks, 0 cities with 10+
- Iowa54 parks, 0 cities with 10+
- Kansas86 parks, 0 cities with 10+
- Kentucky54 parks, 0 cities with 10+
- Louisiana40 parks, 0 cities with 10+
- Maine30 parks, 0 cities with 10+
- Maryland182 parks, 2 cities with 10+
- Massachusetts169 parks, 1 cities with 10+
- Michigan199 parks, 0 cities with 10+
- Minnesota160 parks, 1 cities with 10+
- Mississippi18 parks, 0 cities with 10+
- Missouri103 parks, 1 cities with 10+
- Montana50 parks, 0 cities with 10+
- Nebraska54 parks, 0 cities with 10+
- Nevada103 parks, 2 cities with 10+
- New Hampshire25 parks, 0 cities with 10+
- New Jersey188 parks, 0 cities with 10+
- New Mexico72 parks, 1 cities with 10+
- New York307 parks, 3 cities with 10+
- North Carolina337 parks, 4 cities with 10+
- North Dakota21 parks, 0 cities with 10+
- Ohio243 parks, 1 cities with 10+
- Oklahoma63 parks, 0 cities with 10+
- Oregon201 parks, 2 cities with 10+
- Pennsylvania261 parks, 2 cities with 10+
- Rhode Island21 parks, 0 cities with 10+
- South Carolina133 parks, 0 cities with 10+
- South Dakota29 parks, 0 cities with 10+
- Tennessee189 parks, 0 cities with 10+
- Texas639 parks, 4 cities with 10+
- Utah92 parks, 0 cities with 10+
- Vermont22 parks, 0 cities with 10+
- Virginia246 parks, 1 cities with 10+
- Washington293 parks, 2 cities with 10+
- West Virginia20 parks, 0 cities with 10+
- Wisconsin150 parks, 0 cities with 10+
- Wyoming22 parks, 0 cities with 10+
What the features mean
Each feature comes from a source record: an OpenStreetMap tag or a city dataset (NYC, Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Denver, Phoenix, Tucson, Seattle, Boise, Franklin County, Allegheny County or Raleigh). A feature is counted only when a source states it. These are the tags behind the filters:
A missing tag shows as "Not verified". It does not mean the park lacks the feature. Rules and facilities change, so check before you go. The methodology page explains how parks, cities and features are assigned.
Choosing a dog park
- 1
Start with the feature you need. If your dog should run without a leash, use the off-leash page. For a closed space, use the fenced page. For smaller dogs, the small-dog page lists parks with a separate area.
- 2
A park without a confirmed feature may still have it; the record is missing, which is not the same as the feature being absent.
- 3
To compare parks within one state, open that state's page, which lists each park with its features and sources.
Dog park etiquette
These are general habits for shared dog areas, not the rules of any one park. Keep your dog in sight and responsive to a call, pick up after it and take the bag with you. Keep a dog that is sick, limping or in heat at home. If play turns rough, call your dog out and leave. Both dogs are safer that way.
Dog park rules
Rules differ by park and by city. Some parks allow off-leash use only during set hours or in one zone, some cities require a dog licence, and some areas limit the number of dogs. The listings do not record these rules for most parks, so check the notice board or the park authority's website before you go. This guide does not replace those rules.
Dog park hours
Opening hours are recorded for 246 of the 7,673 parks in this guide. Where the record is missing, the park page says Not recorded. Hours can change with the season, so the park authority is the reliable source.
Best-ranked lists by state
- Best dog parks in Alabama
- Best dog parks in Arizona
- Best dog parks in Arkansas
- Best dog parks in California
- Best dog parks in Colorado
- Best dog parks in Connecticut
All 44 ranked lists
- Best dog parks in District of Columbia
- Best dog parks in Florida
- Best dog parks in Georgia
- Best dog parks in Hawaii
- Best dog parks in Idaho
- Best dog parks in Illinois
- Best dog parks in Indiana
- Best dog parks in Iowa
- Best dog parks in Kansas
- Best dog parks in Kentucky
- Best dog parks in Louisiana
- Best dog parks in Maine
- Best dog parks in Maryland
- Best dog parks in Massachusetts
- Best dog parks in Michigan
- Best dog parks in Minnesota
- Best dog parks in Missouri
- Best dog parks in Nevada
- Best dog parks in New Hampshire
- Best dog parks in New Jersey
- Best dog parks in New Mexico
- Best dog parks in New York
- Best dog parks in North Carolina
- Best dog parks in Ohio
- Best dog parks in Oklahoma
- Best dog parks in Oregon
- Best dog parks in Pennsylvania
- Best dog parks in Rhode Island
- Best dog parks in South Carolina
- Best dog parks in South Dakota
- Best dog parks in Tennessee
- Best dog parks in Texas
- Best dog parks in Utah
- Best dog parks in Vermont
- Best dog parks in Virginia
- Best dog parks in Washington
- Best dog parks in West Virginia
- Best dog parks in Wisconsin
FAQ
Questions
How many dog parks are listed?
The listed count is the number of public dog parks in the listed states, taken from OpenStreetMap and, for New York City, Austin, Dallas, El Paso, Denver, Phoenix, Tucson, Seattle, Boise, Franklin County, Allegheny County and Raleigh, from city and county open data sets. The sources are incomplete, so treat the number as a minimum.
Where does the data come from?
OpenStreetMap data comes from OpenStreetMap contributors under the Open Database License (ODbL). The city datasets come from NYC Open Data, the City of Austin's open data portal, the City of Dallas and City of El Paso GIS services, Denver's dataset on the Colorado open data portal, and the City of Phoenix, Tucson, Seattle and Boise GIS services, and the Franklin County, Allegheny County and Raleigh GIS services. Each park page shows each source, its record and its date.
What does 'Not verified' mean?
No source confirms that feature for the park. It does not mean the park lacks the feature.
What are the usual dog park rules?
Rules differ by park and by city. They can include set off-leash hours, a dog licence in some cities, and limits on the number of dogs. This guide does not record most of these rules, so check with the park authority before you go.
Can I rely on the off-leash information?
The off-leash filter uses the OpenStreetMap tag dog=unleashed, the NYC Dog Runs description of unleashed use, the Austin Off-Leash Areas dataset, the Seattle Dog Off-Leash Areas dataset, the Allegheny County Dog Off-Leash Areas layer, the Boise records whose comment names off-leash use, and the Dallas record of class Off Lease Dog Park. Rules can change or apply only at certain times, so check with the local park authority before you go.
Map tiles: OpenStreetMap. Park data: OpenStreetMap (ODbL) and city open data sets, see the sources on each park page.