Craven County, NC Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Section 28-1(10) of the Craven County Code, in the parks and recreation chapter, governs dogs on county-owned public recreation property. It requires that dogs be restrained by a leash not exceeding six feet in length at all times while on the property, and it bars dogs entirely from certain high-traffic areas: on or near athletic fields, picnic shelters, restroom and concession buildings, and playgrounds. The same rule extends to organized classes offered by the county's recreation and parks department, where a dog participating must still be leashed to six feet and kept under the owner's control throughout the session.

Owners are separately made responsible for cleaning up after their dogs while on the property. Beyond this park-specific leash rule, the county code addresses dangerous or potentially dangerous dogs off their owner's property in Chapter 6, Article V, but does not contain a freestanding leash or at-large requirement for ordinary dogs outside of county park property; a countywide at-large ordinance for domestic dogs is not present in this code as adopted.