The Mecklenburg County Animal Care and Control Ordinance, applied countywide including Charlotte, requires every dog off the owner's property to be under sufficient physical restraint β typically a leash held by a person able to control the animal. Violations begin with a written warning, then escalate from $50 fines up to $500, with five violations triggering a permanent removal investigation. Off-leash is allowed only at designated dog parks.
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 Β§67-12 and Β§67-4.1, requiring secure confinement, signage, muzzling in public, and liability coverage. Dial 311 for non-emergency animal complaints in Mecklenburg County.
Contact your local code enforcement office for specific penalty information.
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Side-by-side rule comparisons with other cities in Mecklenburg County.
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