Under Ridgefield's current code, you can't walk your dog through a borough park, even on a leash. On September 28, 2026, the Mayor and Council introduced an ordinance that would carve out the first exception. It would create a fenced, off-leash yard on the grounds of the Ridgefield Community Center at 725 Slocum Avenue.
The proposed rules have a twist. The dog park would sit on the same property as the Ridgefield Health Department, the office that handles dog licenses, and the ordinance makes a current license the first requirement for getting in. The paperwork you already file with the borough every year would become your dog's pass through the gate.
The Rule Already on the Books
Section 293-5A of the borough code bars anyone from leading an animal into a borough park or recreational facility, or letting one run loose there. A separate section, 131-22, requires pets to be leashed any time they're off their owner's property.
Put those two rules together and Ridgefield has had no legal spot in town for a dog to run off leash. It hasn't had a legal spot to walk a leashed dog through a park, either. The ordinance itself says the code has to be amended "to authorize dogs to be off leash within the securely fenced dog park while preserving the Borough's leash and animal-access requirements elsewhere."
So the leash rules stay the same everywhere else. The new version of 293-5A keeps service animals as the only general exception and adds one fenced area on Slocum Avenue. Dogs would still need to be leashed on the way in, on the way out, and anywhere outside the fence.
The ordinance also rewrites the tennis and pickleball court rules. Animals other than service animals stay off the courts, and new language says that rule doesn't block lawful use of the dog park.
What Ordinance 2554 Actually Creates
The ordinance names the area the "Ridgefield Community Dog Park" and places it on a fenced portion of the Community Center property. It leaves the exact boundaries up to the borough. It doesn't list a size, a cost, a construction schedule or an opening date. Nothing in the borough's published agenda or legal notice fills those in either.
Hours are also left open. The park would follow the same access rules as other borough parks, with hours set by the Mayor and Council or their designee and posted at the entrance. The borough could also close it for maintenance, bad weather, public-health concerns or special events.
The text does allow for separate enclosures by dog size, with the Recreation and Parks Department setting the size or weight classes. That's written as an option, not a promise.
Your Dog's License Becomes the Gate Pass
Under section 293-27, the first condition for any dog inside the fence is a proper license, with a collar or harness carrying a current license tag and ID. The full eligibility list:
- A current license tag and identification, worn on a collar or harness
- A current rabies vaccination, or a valid veterinary exemption
- At least four months old
- No females in heat
- No dogs showing signs of illness, infection, parasites or a contagious condition
- No dogs declared vicious or potentially dangerous, except as the law requires and under every condition placed on that dog
The licensing itself happens on Slocum Avenue. The borough's 2026–2027 pet license application tells owners to return it to the Ridgefield Health Department at 725 Slocum Avenue. Licenses run on a July-to-June cycle:
| License | Spayed or neutered | Not spayed or neutered | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| One year | $12 | $15 | July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 |
| Three year | $34 | $43 | July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2029 |
Dogs need a license from about three months of age, and the borough asks owners to renew before July 31. For this cycle, a $20-per-pet late fee kicked in after August 1, 2026. If your renewal slipped this summer, you'll owe that $20 on top of the regular fee. And if the dog park opens, an expired tag would keep your dog out.
One detail is worth a phone call. The borough's license page says a dog's rabies coverage shouldn't expire before the licensing year ends. The 2026–2027 application, though, lists rabies validity through April 1, 2027 for a one-year license and April 1, 2029 for a three-year license, both earlier than the June 30 end dates. If your dog's vaccine expires in the spring, the Health Department can tell you which date applies.
The Rules Inside the Fence
The handler rules decide who can bring a dog and how many. Under section 293-28, a handler has to be at least 12 years old, and anyone under 16 needs a responsible adult along. No one can supervise more than two dogs at a time. Handlers have to stay inside the park, keep the dog in sight and carry a leash for each dog. A dog can't be left alone or tied to a fence, bench, tree or post.
Entry works like an airlock. Dogs get leashed before stepping into the entry area, and the outer gate stays shut except while someone is going in or out.
Section 293-30 prohibits these inside the enclosure:
- Human food, dog food and dog treats, unless the borough authorizes them for a program
- Glass containers
- Alcoholic beverages
- Smoking or vaping
- Bicycles, skateboards, scooters, roller skates and rollerblades
- Commercial dog training, boarding or supervision without written borough permission
- Prong, pinch, choke or spike collars on an off-leash dog
- Feeding wildlife, or letting a dog chase or harass it
The no-treats rule may be the one that catches regulars at other dog runs off guard, since a pocket of treats is a common recall tool. Handlers also have to carry a bag or scoop, pick up right away, and keep household trash out of the park's bins. Children have to be closely supervised and can't chase, tease or feed the dogs. If a dog shows aggression, its handler has to leash it and leave right away.
What a Bad Afternoon Would Cost
Ridgefield police, certified animal-control officers, the Borough Administrator and designated Recreation and Parks staff could all enforce the rules. Any of them could order a person or dog out on the spot.
| Violation within 12 months | Fine | Possible suspension |
|---|---|---|
| First offense | $150 | None listed |
| Second offense | $250 | Up to 30 days |
| Third or later offense | $500 | Up to one year |
| Unprovoked attack or bite, intentionally refusing to remove an aggressive dog, knowingly presenting materially false license or vaccination information, refusing an official's removal order | Up to $1,000 | Case by case |
The false-information line ties the park back to licensing again. Knowingly presenting materially false licensing or vaccination information falls in the same top tier as an unprovoked bite. For an immediate safety risk, an official could also impose an interim suspension of up to 10 business days while the case is reviewed.
Until Then, the Off-Leash Option Is in Leonia
The closest off-leash space on the county's list is the Henry Hoebel Area dog run in Overpeck County Park, off Fort Lee Road in Leonia. It's one of the county-run dog runs, along with sites in Wallington, Lyndhurst, Woodcliff Lake, Ridgewood and River Edge.
County rules have the same basic shape as Ridgefield's draft. Dogs can be off leash only in designated areas, on a leash no longer than six feet everywhere else, licensed, and cleaned up after. Most county parks open half an hour before sunrise and close half an hour after sundown. Overpeck is the exception, with specialized hours the county doesn't spell out on the pages we reviewed. As fall evenings get shorter, check the posted signs at the Hoebel Area before planning an after-work visit.
That same Ridgefield dog license covers you at the county run, too. One renewal at 725 Slocum Avenue meets the license requirement at both places.
October 13 at 700 Shaler Boulevard
Ordinance No. 2554 is up for a public hearing and possible final passage on Tuesday, October 13, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. The meeting is at the Municipal Complex, 700 Shaler Boulevard. The full text is in the borough's September 28 legal notice, and the license fees and forms are on the borough's dog licensing page.
Four days later, on Saturday, October 17, the Community Center hosts the Community Health Fair from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Recreation Commission's town-wide garage sale runs the same day from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The health fair puts you on the Community Center grounds where the dog park would go.
I'll be following the October 13 vote, and I'll share an update once the borough posts hours or an opening date for the Ridgefield Community Dog Park. If you want to know how a new park, or any other change in town, affects your home's value, Barbara at Real Estate Fun with Barb is happy to talk, in English o en español. Let's connect, and get your free home valuation.
