Chicago, Illinois Dog Poop Law

Quick answer: Yes. Chicago requires dog owners to pick up after their dogs under Municipal Code of Chicago 7-12-420. A court can impose $50 to $500. You are also required to carry a means of removal whenever you walk your dog.

What the Chicago ordinance says

How the penalty works

7-12-420 itself sets the penalty: not less than $50 nor more than $500 for each offense, with no separate repeat-offense tier. The current codified text is on American Legal (codelibrary.amlegal.com), which blocks automated access, so the wording was read from two official City Council ordinance filings that reprint the whole section: O2016-1703 (introduced March 16, 2016, sent by Mayor Emanuel at the request of the Commissioner of Streets and Sanitation) and O2018-9026 (introduced November 14, 2018, Ald. Santiago). Both proposed additions (underscored in the filings) and both are recorded in the City Clerk's eLMS as Failed to Pass on May 29, 2019, so the reprinted base text should still be the operative law. A search of eLMS turned up no later ordinance amending 7-12-420, but the 2026 codified text itself was not read. Chicago Park District property falls under a separate code: Chapter VII, Section B.10.b of the Park District Code, with a civil fine of up to $500 under Section B.18.a.

The carry rule

The section bars appearing with a pet on the public ways, in public places, or on another person's property without consent 'without some means for the removal of excrement'. So carrying a bag or tool is itself required, separately from the duty to pick up.

Service animals

Narrow: 'This section shall not apply to a blind person while walking his or her guide dog.' The text has no general exemption for other service animals.

How Chicago compares

Unlike Aurora ($100), Chicago has no set ticket, so the amount is decided when a citation is heard. Chicago is also stricter than Aurora and Joliet on carrying: here the empty pocket is itself the offense.

In practice

Because Chicago requires you to carry a way to clean up, the simplest way to stay on the right side of it is to keep bags on the leash itself, so they leave the house every time the dog does. The Walk Dispenser clips to the leash and holds a full roll.

Elsewhere in Illinois

Illinois dog poop laws covers the state and its other large cities. Nearby: Aurora dog poop law · Joliet dog poop law. All 50 states.

Source

Checked 2026-09-10 against the Chicago municipal code. Codes change, so read the current version before relying on this for an actual citation.

This page is general information, not legal advice.