Alamance County, NC Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing agency
- Sheriff's Department animal control officers
- Trigger
- Nuisance determination bars keeping animal at large
- Appeal path
- Sheriff, then 3-member Review Board
- 1st offense
- Written warning only
- 5th+ offense
- $500 penalty
- Seizure power
- Officers may seize any animal running at large
Summary
Alamance County's Animal Control Ordinance does not impose a blanket leash law, but once an animal control officer determines a dog or other animal is a public nuisance under Section II.B, it becomes unlawful for the keeper to let that animal run at large. Animal control officers may also seize any animal unlawfully at large under Section III.
An animal shall be determined by an animal control officer to be a public nuisance when it commits any of the following acts: a. Chases, snaps at, or otherwise molests a pedestrian, bicyclist, motor vehicle occupant, or domestic animal; or b. Scatters garbage or trash; or c. Damages a garden, other foliage, or other real or personal property; or d. Loiters on school grounds or on a public recreation area... If any animal has been determined to be a public nuisance, it shall be unlawful for the keeper to permit the animal to be at large.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
B of the Alamance County Animal Control Ordinance sets the county's operative rule on animals running loose. An animal control officer determines an animal to be a 'public nuisance' when it chases, snaps at, or molests a pedestrian, bicyclist, motorist, or domestic animal; scatters garbage or trash; damages a garden or other property; or loiters on school grounds or a public recreation area. 4 makes it unlawful for the keeper to permit the animal to be at large from that point forward. The determination can be appealed first to the Sheriff and then to a three-member Review Board, whose ruling is final subject only to review by certiorari in court.
A empowers animal control officers to seize and impound any animal unlawfully running at large, whether in violation of the ordinance or of State law, any dog or cat without a rabies tag, and any animal already determined a public nuisance, potentially dangerous, or dangerous. ' Animal Control Officers work for the Alamance County Sheriff's Department and make both the nuisance and at-large determinations in the field.
Violations & Fines
A first offense under the Animal Control Ordinance draws a written warning; the Sheriff's Department escalates fines for repeat violations by the same owner to $50 for a second offense, $100 for a third, $150 for a fourth, and $500 for a fifth or later offense. Violations can also be prosecuted as a Class 3 misdemeanor under N.C.G.S. § 14-4, punishable by up to a $500 fine, with each day of continuing violation a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a general leash law in Alamance County?
What makes an animal a 'public nuisance' in Alamance County?
Can I appeal an at-large or nuisance determination?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Alamance County
Compare Alamance County to another location·View the North Carolina animal ordinances overview
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