New Hanover County, NC Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

Section 5-61 defines 'dangerous dog' as a dog that, without provocation, 'has killed or inflicted severe injury on a person,' one the board finds 'potentially dangerous' for the behaviors listed below, or any dog owned, harbored, or trained for dog fighting. ' No breed is named anywhere in the definitions. Under § 5-63, the sheriff appoints a two-person board to make the determination and a separate appeal board to hear challenges; the board must notify the owner in writing with its reasons, and a split vote goes to the sheriff for a final call.

An owner has three business days to file a written appeal with a filing fee to the appeal board, which must hold a quasi-judicial hearing within ten calendar days; a further appeal goes de novo to superior court within ten business days. Once a determination is final, § 5-64 requires the dog be confined indoors or in a padlocked, concrete-bottomed enclosure when unattended, the property posted with four warning signs, and the dog muzzled and leashed on a six-foot, non-retractable leash whenever it leaves the property.

Within seven days the owner must have the dog tattooed on the inside right hind leg or microchipped, and any transfer of ownership must be reported to the Sheriff and Animal Services within 48 hours. Under § 5-65(a), once the determination is final the dog must be surgically sterilized; if the owner violated the § 5-64 conditions willfully or negligently, the board can also find the owner forfeited ownership, clearing the way for the dog to be humanely euthanized.