The D.C. government Friday released revised rules for the establishment of fenced-in, off-leash dog parks throughout the District, regulations that are more dog-friendly than those suggested earlier this year.
The original version of the rules, first listed in the D.C. Register in March, set standards that most dog owners complained were impossible to meet. Even existing dog parks, they worried, would be devastated by the limitations, such as the one requiring a certified “rat-free zone” within five blocks of the proposed park.
The provision, which has since been removed, required that the dog exercise area’s sponsor group obtain a written certification from the Department of Health’s rodent control division that the nearby area is free of rats.
Such unusual and unprecedented requirements prompted the review of the rules.
“The [D.C.] Council passed a law saying we needed to establish dog parks,” Clark Ray, DPR director, said Friday. “When I came in and looked at the rules, quite frankly these were not common-sense rules. I think what we published today are common-sense guidelines.”
Under the new regulations, a proposed dog park must be sponsored by a community group, though not one registered as a 501c3, as the earlier rules stipulated. The group would partner with DPR for maintenance of the park and enforcement of its rules, but no longer would its users have to finance their own canine playground.
Applications for new parks would require the support of a standing review committee comprising community members and various experts. The approval process could take some time, Ray said, as he expects to have three or so parks up and running within a year.
Each park must be at least 5,000 square feet, include fencing 5 feet high and be near a water supply line. Athletic fields, playgrounds and parks near community gardens would be considered “inappropriate” locations, according to the rules, but requirements banning all dog runs within 200 feet of businesses and homes were eliminated.
Ward 5 Council Member Harry Thomas Jr., who has oversight of DPR, said the revised rules “give us a blueprint to start.”
“I think it’s a big step toward getting some reasonable solution to the dog-human problem we have,” said Thomas, owner of Maximus, a boxer.
The rules will remain in the D.C. Register for 30 days, after which they will be adopted — unless there’s a great outcry.
Other stipulations:
» All dog handlers must be at least 16 years old
» No puppies younger than four months allowed
» No female dogs in heat allowed
» Dog parks in lighted fields must close by 10 p.m.
