Craighead County, AR Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

00 of the Craighead County Code applies to the unincorporated areas of the county, and it also reaches an owner who lives inside an incorporated city but lets an animal run at large in the unincorporated area. Rather than restricting particular breeds, the ordinance defines a dangerous animal as any animal, particularly a dog, that physically threatens or has a known disposition to attack human beings without provocation, or that has previously inflicted substantial bodily harm on a human being without provocation. Once an animal is declared dangerous, the owner has ten days from the ordinance's passage, or from the declaration, to register it with the Animal Control Officer, a role filled by the Craighead County Sheriff's Office deputies.

Dangerous animals must be kept confined indoors or in a securely enclosed pen or kennel at all times, except when securely leashed by a person capable of restraining them; a porch, patio, or part of a house or garage that would let the animal exit on its own does not count as a proper enclosure. Owners must also post a warning sign in a prominent place on the premises. If the Animal Control Officer determines an animal is dangerous and it later escapes, is at large, or causes serious harm, the officer can seize and impound it, and an impounded animal is held for ten days before being humanely destroyed unless it is reclaimed under the ordinance's conditions. An owner who disputes a dangerous-animal determination may appeal to the Craighead County District Court within ten days of receiving notice.