Surrey’s walking is mostly hills, heath and common land, and the rules that matter most are about nesting birds and grazing animals. Council dog orders vary borough by borough, and several are being renewed, so we’ve said where we couldn’t confirm the detail.
Heaths and commons: the spring rule
Surrey County Council’s countryside guidance for Chobham, Puttenham, Whitmoor, Rodborough, and Wisley and Ockham Commons asks walkers to keep dogs on paths from 1 March to 15 September, for nightjar, Dartford warbler and skylark. It also says to bring no more than six dogs per walker, carry a lead per dog, keep dogs without reliable recall on a lead, and keep a lead on in car parks and near roads and grazing livestock. Surrey Wildlife Trust notes that on Open Access land a lead of 2 metres or less is a legal requirement from 1 March to 31 July.
National Trust and other key walks
Box Hill welcomes well-controlled dogs, with leads where livestock graze. Leith Hill welcomes dogs, asks for a lead around grazing animals and for dogs to be kept under control during the 1 March to 31 July ground-nesting season. Hindhead Commons and the Devil’s Punch Bowl asks for a short lead throughout the year, with ponies and cattle grazing. Witley and Milford Commons asks for short leads from 1 March to 31 July. Frensham Little Pond asks for short leads while birds nest, March to September, and bans swimming, dogs included. Windsor Great Park allows off-lead walking in marked areas if your dog stays in sight and recalls at the first call, but the park straddles Berkshire and Surrey. We couldn’t find official dog rules for Thursley, Esher Common, Epsom Common, Banstead Downs, Newlands Corner, Bookham Commons or Ashtead Common, so check the signs there.
Council dog orders
Surrey Heath extended its orders after a May 2026 consultation; the new ones run from October 2026 to October 2029, ban dogs from council play areas and require leads at Lightwater Country Park in nesting season. Reigate & Banstead sets a four-dog limit per person and requires leads when an officer asks, with extra rules by park; a review consultation closed on 27 September 2026 and we couldn’t find the outcome. Runnymede extended its order in April 2026, requiring leads on request and excluding dogs from enclosed play areas. Waverley and Spelthorne both have dog control orders, but their detail sits in PDFs we couldn’t read. Guildford has a borough-wide fouling order only. Mole Valley has no district-wide order we could find, only Dorking site orders, and Woking showed none. We couldn’t confirm Elmbridge, Tandridge or Epsom & Ewell.
Wildlife and livestock
Surrey County Council advises watching for adders in warm months; if your dog is bitten, get to a vet straight away. Keep your distance from cattle and ponies, and if cattle chase you, let the dog off the lead. We found no official 2026 blue-green algae notice for Surrey waters, which isn’t proof there isn’t one, so watch for local warning signs.
New smells, hills and rule changes can be a lot for a nervier dog. A calming bite can help take the edge off a busier day out. If your dog struggles to settle wherever you walk, that is worth a conversation with your vet or a qualified trainer. For everything else, see our Surrey dog services hub, and if you want a fenced field to let a reactive dog run, our secure dog fields in Surrey.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do dogs need to be on a lead on Surrey commons?
Surrey County Council asks for dogs on paths from 1 March to 15 September on its heathland sites, and on Open Access land a lead of 2 metres or less is legally required from 1 March to 31 July.
Can my dog swim at Frensham Little Pond?
No. The National Trust says no swimming at Frensham Little Pond, dogs included, and asks for short leads while birds nest.
How many dogs can I walk at once in Reigate and Banstead?
The council’s order sets a maximum of four dogs per person. A review consultation closed in September 2026, so check its page for any change.
Written by Georgiana & Figo, who thinks every Surrey hill is better with a stick at the top.
