Worcester, Massachusetts Dog Poop Law

Quick answer: Yes. Worcester requires dog owners to pick up after their dogs under Worcester Revised Ordinances of 2008. The set ticket for a first offense is $50, and $50 for a repeat.

What the Worcester ordinance says

How the penalty works

c. 8, § 14(b): 'any person in violation of this chapter shall be punished by a fine of fifty dollars for each offense,' and each day a violation exists is a separate offense. Three or more violations in any two-year period cause immediate forfeiture of the dog license and one year of ineligibility for a dog or kennel license. Enforceable by civil, criminal, or noncriminal process under M.G.L. c. 40, § 21D.

The carry rule

No bag-carry requirement. § 13(a)(9) prohibits letting a dog deposit excreta on any public or private property open to the public 'without immediately removing such excreta for disposition in a sanitary manner.' § 13(a)(10) also bars letting dog excreta accumulate on your own property.

Service animals

No service-dog exemption from the pick-up rule. Registered service dogs are exempt only from the park ban in § 13(a)(7) and the downtown restriction in § 13(a)(8).

How Worcester compares

At $50, the Worcester ticket is the same as Boston and Springfield.

In practice

Pick up every time, bag it, and put it in a trash can. That is the one method that satisfies every ordinance in the country. The Walk Dispenser clips to the leash and holds a full roll.

Elsewhere in Massachusetts

Massachusetts dog poop laws covers the state and its other large cities. Nearby: Boston dog poop law · Springfield dog poop law. All 50 states.

Source

Checked 2026-09-10 against the Worcester 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.