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

Nash County regulates individual dogs by behavior, not breed. Sec. 4-1 defines a 'dangerous dog' as one that, without provocation, has killed or inflicted severe injury on a person, one the Health Director determines to be 'potentially dangerous,' or any dog kept or trained for dog fighting; a 'potentially dangerous dog' is one that has inflicted a bite causing broken bones, disfiguring lacerations, cosmetic surgery or hospitalization, killed or severely injured a domestic animal off the owner's property, or approached a person off-property in a vicious or terrorizing manner.

Under Sec. 4-12(a), the Health Director makes the dangerous-dog determination and must notify the owner in writing with reasons; the owner may appeal to the Nash County Human Services Board within ten business days under Sec. 4-12(b), with a hearing scheduled within ten more business days and further appeal to superior court. Until every appeal is final, the dog must stay under constant restraint on the owner's property. Sec. 4-12(c) then makes it unlawful to maintain or harbor a dangerous or potentially dangerous dog outside a secure enclosure.

The owner has 30 days from notification to build the enclosure and must post a visible warning sign, and a dog that has killed a person is euthanized by Animal Control under Sec. 4-12(d) unless law enforcement requests a delay. Owners of a dog declared dangerous for severe injury must add further safeguards such as a concrete floor, a roofed or electrified enclosure, or liability insurance under Sec. 4-12(h). Exemptions cover law-enforcement, hunting and working dogs and dogs that bit someone committing a crime or assault, under Sec. 4-12(j).