BEVERLY HILLS—The city of Beverly Hills marked the grand opening of their first ever, entirely “exclusive” off leash dog park last week with a ribbon cutting ceremony and celebration.

The long-awaited, 12-year in the making, dog park entered the design phase last October, broke ground in May and opened to the public on Tuesday, September 6 at 344 North Foothill Road. The dog park is open between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. daily.

The park is approximately 19,000 square feet, limited to a maximum capacity of 40 dogs and divided into sections for both larger and smaller animals, according to the park’s website. Each pet-owner is limited to three dogs each.

The park is exclusive to the city’s residents and employees, to ensure that only Beverly Hills locals access the park, residents who desire to utilize it must create an account at https://beverlyhills.org/application/dogpark/. Beverly Hills hotel guests and visitors of local residents can apply for a two-week permit.

“Our residents have been asking for a dog park, noting that dogs bring people together. Not only will a dog park give our pets a place to run free and socialize, but it will become a place for us to get to know our neighbors better. We need it as much as they do,” said Mayor John Mirisch in a statement.

The registration system provides eligible pet-owners with exclusive tags that mark their dog is approved for park access. To be approved, dogs must be properly licensed.

The park does not permit dogs under four months and implements a strict no-treats policy; failure to abide by the rules can potentially render the city revoking the pet’s permit.

The park will be patrolled by a park ranger for at least the first six months and closed-circuit cameras will survey the area at all hours.

Canyon News reached out to the city for comment, but did not hear back before print.