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

Sampson County's dangerous-dog rules in § 4-1-03 turn on a dog's individual conduct, not its breed: a Law Enforcement Officer must first investigate a bite, attack or credible complaint and issue a written determination naming the dog potentially dangerous, which the owner can appeal to the Health Director and then the Dangerous Dog Appeal Board within three business days. Once a dog is registered or finally determined dangerous, § 4-1-03.E requires the owner to register it with the Sheriff's Office within five days, and every registered dog gets a permanent identification chip implanted at the owner's expense.

Section 4-1-03.F then requires a separate annual permit from the Sheriff's Department before the owner may keep the dog at all, conditioned on proper housing and public-safety measures, subject to periodic inspections, and revocable for good cause; the same subsection requires the owner to carry and annually prove at least $100,000 in liability insurance covering injury or property damage the dog causes. Section 4-1-03.G then dictates how the dog must be secured: on the owner's property it must be in a securely fastened building, a locked escape-proof enclosure, or, if outside those, on a leash no longer than four feet and muzzled; off the property it must always be on that same four-foot leash and muzzle.

A dangerous dog that has killed a person may never again be kept except in veterinary custody, quarantine or the Animal Shelter. Officers can impound a noncompliant dog under § 4-1-03.H, and violations draw Chapter 4-1's standard civil and Class 3 misdemeanor penalties.