Long Beach dog park opens
Published 5:24 pm Sunday, September 20, 2026
LONG BEACH — A key ruling that was handed down earlier this month allowed the City of Long Beach to open its first dedicated dog park just in time for last weekend’s annual festival celebrating man’s best friend.
A hearing examiner for the City of Long Beach on Sept. 9 formally gave the thumbs up to the city’s application seeking an exception to its wetland regulations for the proposed site of its new dog park.
A public hearing was held Aug. 28 with the hearing examiner regarding Long Beach’s application to allow 6,490 feet of indirect wetland impacts just east of the boardwalk on Bolstad Avenue S. The city was seeking a variance from its critical areas ordinance to allow for the dog park to be housed there.
About 40-50 feet of buffer was impacted by the dog park “in most cases,” city administrator David Glasson told the Observer. The park is located in the dunes near the Bolstad beach approach, just east of the recently opened Dune Meadows field where many events were held during this past weekend’s Dog-O-Rama.
“It’s kind of an after-the-fact [acknowledgement] of ‘Hey, we impacted a buffer,’” he said. “We didn’t really do anything else to the dog park until we had approval from the hearing examiner.”
That approval came less than two weeks later, when the hearing examiner issued their report and signed off on the city’s application for a variance.
Glasson said a concern has also been raised about the prevalence of ticks in the general vicinity of the dog park. The city had been looking at putting down soil that is meant to combat ticks, but that effort had initially been put on pause while Long Beach waited for the hearing examiner process to play out.
“We really can’t do anything until we make sure the variance is approved,” Glasson had said in late August. But aside from installing the anti-tick soil, he noted that much else needed to be done in order for the dog park to formally open.
Fencing had previously been erected, after city councilors this spring authorized the mayor to enter into an agreement with Elma-based LaDue Fencing for $26,670. The fencing was installed earlier this summer.
Rules and regulations
The city council in the spring also approved an ordinance establishing rules and regulations for the dog park. The ordinance outlaws typical disobedience issues, such as fighting and harassment (for both dogs and people) as well as using “foul, obscene, offensive, or fighting words.” Smoking is also forbidden, as is the possession of a knife or other dangerous weapon.
Use of the park is limited from dawn to dusk, and all dogs must be leashed when entering and exiting the park. Owners must immediately clean their dog’s waste, and also must remove their dog from the park if it is sick, in heat, or being aggressive.
The first offense for violators includes a three-day ban from the park, which escalates to a seven-day ban for second-time offenders. Those with three or more offenses will be banned from the park for 30 days.
“An officer having probable cause to believe a violation of this Ordinance has occurred may detain a person long enough to write and deliver the notification required herein,” the ordinance states.
Criminal trespassing charges can also be filed against violators who do not abide by the ban.