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

Granville County has no breed-specific ban; Section 11-81 declares an animal dangerous or a public nuisance based on what it does, regardless of breed. An animal control officer may declare an animal dangerous after it chases, snaps at, attacks or molests a pedestrian, cyclist, motorist, farm stock or domestic animal, or bites a person or animal causing abrasions or broken skin, two or more times, or after a single bite that breaks the skin. Nuisance status covers the same chasing and attacking behavior plus turning over garbage pails, damaging gardens or foliage, or habitually loitering on school grounds or public property.

Once declared dangerous, the owner may not let the animal run at large or leave the property except under direct control, and must keep it in a secure enclosure on the property unless restrained. An owner who wants to keep a declared dangerous dog must sign a retention contract and pay a fee set in the county fee schedule. Within 14 days the owner must post an 11-by-16-inch warning sign visible from the street; an outdoor dog needs a pen at least six feet high with at least 50 square feet of ground space and secure sides and top complying with county zoning; the dog may leave the property only on a leash no longer than six feet, with no retractable leads, controlled by a capable adult, and muzzled.

The determination may be appealed to the animal control advisory committee under G.S. 67-4.1(c). A second at-large incident, or noncompliance with the contract, results in the dog's surrender and destruction, and the owner must notify 911 within one hour of any loss of containment.