Brunswick County, NC Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Brunswick County Code Sec. 1-3-153
- Redemption window
- 5 days to reclaim impounded animal
- Enforcement agency
- Animal Protective Services / Sheriff
- Nighttime at-large
- Class 3 misdemeanor, G.S. 67-12
- Applies to
- Unincorporated county only
Summary
In unincorporated Brunswick County, North Carolina, owners must keep dogs and other animals on their own property or under restraint at all times. An animal previously deemed at large or that has caused injury must be leashed, chained, fenced or enclosed even on the owner's own land.
The owner of an animal shall keep the animal on his property or under restraint at all times. Any animal that has been previously deemed by the sheriff as being at large, based upon probable cause, or has previously caused injury to a person or animal, or has displayed vicious tendency, or has been a public nuisance, must be restrained by leash, chain, fence or enclosure by the owner even when on the owner's property.
Full Breakdown
Brunswick County Code Sec. 1-3-153 requires every owner to keep an animal on the owner's property or under restraint at all times. Restraint, defined in the preceding section, means a chain, leash or like device, confinement in a vehicle or secure enclosure, control by a licensed hunter during hunting season, or participation in a dog show or field trial; voice command alone is not adequate restraint. Once an animal has previously been found at large, has caused injury to a person or animal, has shown a vicious tendency, or has been declared a public nuisance, the owner must restrain it by leash, chain, fence or enclosure even while it is on the owner's own property.
Brunswick County Animal Protective Services, operating under the sheriff, enforces the article. On a first complaint an officer investigates and may enter private property to do so; on probable cause the officer may issue a written notice of violation and civil penalty, and may impound an animal found off the owner's property and not under restraint. An impounded animal must be redeemed within five days by paying the civil penalty, boarding fees and a redemption fee, or it becomes county property and may be disposed of.
S. 67-12, a class 3 misdemeanor, and the owner is liable in damages for injury or property loss it causes. This is a county-only ordinance: it governs the unincorporated parts of Brunswick County and does not apply inside Leland, Southport, Oak Island, Shallotte, Holden Beach, Ocean Isle Beach, Sunset Beach, Calabash or Boiling Spring Lakes, each of which enforces its own leash rules.
Violations & Fines
First violation: written notice of violation and a civil penalty, collectible by civil action or a collection agency; additional civil penalties apply for each subsequent at-large violation. After three impoundments or three citations for the same animal, the sheriff may declare it a public nuisance, require it be housed as instructed, and pursue a district court custody action if it is found at large again. Nighttime at-large violations under G.S. 67-12 are a class 3 misdemeanor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this leash law apply in Oak Island or Southport?
Is voice control enough to satisfy the restraint requirement?
Can my dog be restrained even while it's on my own property?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Brunswick County
Compare Brunswick County to another location·View the North Carolina animal ordinances overview
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