New City & County of Honolulu Leash Law for Dangerous Dogs

On March 31, 2005, the Mayor of the City and County of Honolulu signed into law Ordinance 05-007. The new law deals with dangerous dogs. Sec. 7-7.1 of the Honolulu Revised Ordinances defines "Dangerous dog" as any dog which, without provocation, attacks a person or animal. A dog’s breed shall not be considered in determining whether or not it is dangerous.

If a dangerous dog injures someone other than the dog's owner, special conditions are placed on the dog and the dog owner. One of the new conditions is that when outside the owner’s premises, the dog shall be attended and kept on a leash no longer than four feet in length and under the control of a person eighteen years of age or older. It is likely that a court would treat the common elements of a condominium project as "outside the owner's premises". Therefore, if there is a dangerous dog in your project the City Ordinance will require that the dog be kept on a short leash.