Macomb County dog poop laws, city by city (2026)

Almost every Macomb County community we checked has a pooper-scooper rule, but the details change when you cross a border. Below is every rule we could verify for the 22 communities we serve, in plain English, with the code section and a link to the source. We checked them in September 2026. This is a summary, not legal advice, and ordinances change, so click through before you rely on one.

Is it illegal to not pick up dog poop in Macomb County?

Yes, almost everywhere. In 19 of the 22 communities below, leaving your dog's poop on public land or someone else's property breaks a local ordinance.

Most of the rules follow the same pattern. When your dog is off your property, you either keep it from pooping on public or private property, or you pick the poop up right away and dispose of it properly. Many add that you have to carry something to pick it up with: Sterling Heights, Fraser, Clinton Township and Richmond whenever you walk your dog off your property, and Warren, Shelby Township and Macomb Township in their parks.

Macomb County Animal Control has a model ordinance of its own, the Animal Control Best Practices enacted January 1, 2023, and it sets the same standard (Sec. 7.3). It says it doesn't apply in a city or township that has adopted its own animal control ordinance under state law, so your local code is the one to check.

Part of the reason for all these rules is water: every county drain ends at Lake St. Clair. More on where dog poop goes when it rains.

Is a neighbor's dog the problem? Here's what to do when a neighbor's dog poops in your yard, from the first friendly talk to who to call.

What does each city's dog poop ordinance say?

Here's what we found for each community we serve. Click a code section to read the source.

One more nuance: Lenox Township's animal control ordinance treats a loose, unsupervised dog pooping on someone else's property as a nuisance (Sec. 301.4 and 301.5), but its pickup rule covers the township parks.

Do you have to pick up dog poop in your own yard?

In a good share of the county, yes, at least before it piles up or starts to smell. These communities have rules for waste at home:

• Sterling Heights and Fraser: keep it from scattering or turning smelly, and remove it within 24 hours after the city receives a complaint.
• Clinton Township: keep it confined, and seal it in bags or containers or bury it right away.
• Eastpointe: bury or contain it and deal with it promptly. The city's rat-control rules also call for regularly removing pet waste (Sec. 18-149).
• St. Clair Shores: dispose of it promptly so it doesn't spread or create an offensive condition.
• Mount Clemens: keep it confined or buried so it can't scatter into streets, sidewalks, alleys or gutters.
• Utica: keep it contained so it can't scatter or smell.
• Armada (village): don't let it pile up until it smells or draws insects.
• Washington Township: don't keep a dog in a yard or pen in a way that creates an unsanitary or smelly condition (Sec. 11).

Center Line also bans keeping an animal in a way that creates an odor or health nuisance, and Harrison Township, Chesterfield Township and New Baltimore require animals and their enclosures to be kept clean and sanitary.

Even where the code is quiet, the CDC says dog poop should be picked up even in your own yard, and especially where children may play.

What are the dog poop rules in Sterling Heights and Warren?

Both require you to pick up right away anywhere off your own property. Sterling Heights also puts a 24-hour clock on a yard after a complaint.

Sterling Heights

Under §8-11, poop your dog leaves anywhere other than your own property has to be picked up right away, and you must carry a bag or other pickup device when you walk a dog on property you don't own. At home, waste can't be left to scatter or turn smelly, and it has to be removed within 24 hours after the city receives a complaint. In city parks, dogs need a leash no longer than 6 feet, and the park rules make cleanup mandatory. More on our Sterling Heights page.

Warren

Under Sec. 7-73, when your dog is off your property, you must keep it from pooping on public or private property or pick it up right away and dispose of it properly. In city parks, Sec. 23-16 allows a leash of up to 8 feet, keeps dogs off playgrounds and sports fields, and requires you to carry a scooper or bag and a container. More on our Warren page.

How long can a dog leash be in Macomb County parks?

Six feet in most places. Warren and Richmond allow up to 8 feet in city parks.

Some cities limit where dogs can go at all. Roseville and Fraser allow dogs in their parks only in parking areas, the walks next to them and spots signed for domestic animals. St. Clair Shores allows them only in Wahby Park and Blossom Heath Park, plus the dog park. Dogs stay off the beaches at Memorial Park in St. Clair Shores, at Walter and Mary Burke Park in New Baltimore and at every Metroparks beach. For where they can run, see our guide to Macomb County dog parks.

What's the fine for not picking up dog poop?

It depends on where you are, and most codes set their penalties in a general section, so check yours. Here's what we could verify:

• Center Line: leaving waste in a city park carries a fine of 150 dollars (Sec. 50-4).
• Richmond: violations are municipal civil infractions.
• Washington Township: breaking the animal control ordinance is a misdemeanor, with a fine of up to $500, up to 90 days in jail, or both.
• Sterling Heights and Fraser: a complaint about your yard starts a 24-hour clock to clean it up.

Is there a Michigan state law about picking up dog poop?

Not that we found. The state's dog law says nothing about picking up, so pickup rules come from local ordinances like the ones above, plus the DNR's rules in state parks.

We read the Dog Law of 1919, the state statute behind dog licensing, as published in September 2026. It covers licenses, tags, rabies vaccination, kennels and damage to livestock, and it says nothing about picking up waste. It does make it unlawful to let a dog stray unless it's on a leash, with exceptions for working dogs, such as hunting and farm dogs, while they're working with their owner.

Two state-level rules still matter:

• Licenses and rabies shots. Macomb County Animal Control notes that state law requires every dog to have a license and a rabies vaccination. County licenses are required from 4 months of age, and Eastpointe, Mount Clemens, Sterling Heights and Warren handle licensing themselves.
• State parks. In Michigan state parks and recreation areas, such as Wetzel State Recreation Area in Lenox Township, the DNR requires a 6-foot leash and cleanup.

How do you check whether your city's rule has changed?

Click through to the code, or call your city or township office. Rules do change: Chesterfield Township's updated animal ordinance took effect May 15, 2025, and Armada Township's animal control ordinance carries a 2026 number. We checked every rule here in September 2026. If you spot a change, let us know.

Whatever your city's code says, a regular scooping plan keeps your yard well on the right side of it. Get your price in about 30 seconds.