Dog control orders

Rules for dog owners, including where dogs must be kept under control.

Portsmouth has parks, open spaces and beaches which welcome dogs, but there are some restrictions. These are covered by the Public Spaces Protection Order 2025 (PSPO) (PDF).

This order covers the following dog controls within Portsmouth:

  • exclusion of dogs from land
  • fouling of land by dogs and the removal of dog faeces
  • dogs only permitted on land if kept on lead
  • dogs to be put on lead by direction of an authorised council officer

Follow the links for what to do if you find a stray dog, or to report dog fouling.

Where you can take your dog in Portsmouth

The major change from the previous dog controls is that from 30 April to 30 September, you won't be able to take your dogs on the foreshore between the Royal Marines statue and Southsea Castle. The same exclusion is in force at Hot Walls foreshore.

The map below shows the areas of the city affected by the Public Spaces Protection Order 2018.

Dog control orders – formal notice

The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005

The Dog Control Orders (Prescribed Offences and Penalties etc) Regulations 2006

Notice is hereby given that Portsmouth City Council has made the following dog control orders under Section 55 (1) of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005:

  1. The Fouling of Lands by Dogs (City of Portsmouth) Order 2011; (this order makes it an offence to fail to remove dog faeces deposited by a dog under your control)
  2. The Dogs Exclusion (City of Portsmouth) Order 2011; (this order makes it an offence to allow a dog under your control to enter those areas designated under the order)
  3. The Dogs on Leads (City of Portsmouth) Order 2011; (this order makes it an offence not to keep a dog under your control on a lead in those areas designated under the order)
  4. The Dogs on Leads by Direction (City of Portsmouth) Order 2011; (this order makes it an offence to fail to comply with a request by a council officer to put a dog under your control on a lead in an area designated under the order)
  5. The Dogs Exclusion (City of Portsmouth – Southsea Beach) Order 2011; (this order makes it an offence to allow a dog under your control to enter those parts of Southsea Beach designated under the Order between 1 March and 30 September inclusive in any year)
  6. The Dogs on Leads by Direction (City of Portsmouth – Southsea Beach) Order 2011; (this order makes it an offence to fail to comply with a request by a council officer to put a dog under your control on a lead on those parts of Southsea Beach designated under the order between 1 January and 28 February and between 1 October and 31 December inclusive in any year)
  7. The Dogs Exclusion (City of Portsmouth – Tangier Field) Order 2011; (this order makes it an offence to allow a dog under your control to enter that part of Tangier Field designated under the Order between 1 January and 31 March inclusive and between 1 October and 31 March inclusive in any year)
  8. The Dogs on Leads by Direction (City of Portsmouth – Tangier Field) Order 2011; (this order makes it an offence to fail to comply with a request by a council officer to put a dog under your control on a lead in that part of Tangier Field designated under the order between 1 April and 30 September inclusive in any year)
  9. The Dogs on Leads (City of Portsmouth – West Battery and Bransbury Park) Order 2011; (this order makes it an offence not to a keep a dog under your control on a lead in that part of the West Battery designated under the order at any time during which the bandstand is being used for public entertainment or not to a keep a dog under your control on a lead in that part of Bransbury Park designated under the order at any time at any time during which the miniature railway is available for use by the public)

These orders came into force at 12.01am on 1 July 2011.

More information

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