Craven County, NC Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

Chapter 6, Article V of the Craven County Code defines three tiers of behavior-based declarations in Section 6-119: a vicious dog is one that, unprovoked, inflicts severe injury on a person; a dangerous dog is one that, unprovoked, requires defensive action to prevent injury, bites causing less severe injury, has been attack-trained, or is kept for fighting; and a potentially dangerous dog is one that causes a reasonable belief of harm when off its owner's property or that has injured a domestic animal without provocation.

Once the sheriff declares a dog vicious, Section 6-120 bars selling, giving away, trading, or placing it for adoption, requires the owner to notify the sheriff within two working days of any address change, mandates a secure double-fenced enclosure with a padlocked gate, requires the dog to be muzzled whenever unconfined even on the owner's own property, and requires spaying or neutering within seven days of the declaration before the owner can reclaim the dog. Off the owner's property, a vicious dog must be muzzled and leashed to no more than four feet at all times, and the owner must carry a $500,000 surety bond or liability policy.

Dangerous and potentially dangerous dogs face similar secure-enclosure and muzzle requirements under Section 6-121, with a four-foot leash and muzzle required off-property. Owners of a declared vicious dog pay a prorated $500 yearly permit fee to the sheriff, while owners of dangerous or potentially dangerous dogs pay $100 yearly, both under Section 6-126. A dog can be removed from dangerous or potentially dangerous status after 36 months without another incident, but reoffending within six months of removal triggers a permanent, non-appealable dangerous declaration.