Charlotte, NC Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Charlotte's leash rules come from the Mecklenburg County Animal Care and Control Ordinance, which the City of Charlotte adopts and which Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care and Control (a division of CMPD) enforces citywide. The ordinance makes it unlawful for an owner or person in charge of any dog to keep the animal on or off the owner's premises unless the dog is under sufficient physical restraint, contained inside a vehicle, behind an adequate fence, or in a secure enclosure. When the restraint is a leash, the handler must be of sufficient age, size, and ability to reasonably control the dog. Cats are exempt from the leash provision. Off-leash activity is permitted only inside designated dog parks such as Reedy Creek Dog Park, Frazier Park Dog Park, and Barkingham Park at Reedy Creek, where dogs must still remain under voice and sight control. Penalty fees are graduated: a written warning on the first offense, then escalating civil fines that begin at $50 and rise to $500 for repeat violators, plus impoundment fees if the dog is picked up running at large. After five leash-law violations, Animal Care and Control may open a removal investigation. Dogs must also be vaccinated for rabies and licensed annually under the same ordinance, and dangerous-dog determinations are governed by NCGS §67-12 and §67-4.1, requiring secure confinement, signage, muzzling in public, and liability coverage. Dial 311 for non-emergency animal complaints in Mecklenburg County.