Cass County, ND Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Unincorporated Cass County has no leash ordinance: there is no county requirement that a dog be on a leash of a specified length, and there is no county license or registration program. The Cass County Sheriff's Office takes dog-related complaints (loose dogs, livestock harassment, biting incidents) and refers them under North Dakota Century Code: NDCC 42-03 governs dangerous and vicious dogs, including impoundment after a bite; NDCC 36-21.1 covers humane treatment of animals; and NDCC 36-14 makes it a class B misdemeanor to allow a dog to run at large and harass livestock, with the owner liable for damages. The Sheriff maintains an informal lost/found list rather than a shelter; injured or unclaimed strays are typically transported to Fargo's Homeward Animal Shelter or to Cass County Humane Society partner facilities. Each Cass County city has adopted its own leash and licensing rules: Fargo Municipal Code Chapter 13 requires dogs to be on a leash of no more than 6 feet when off the owner's property and requires annual licensing; West Fargo and Horace have parallel ordinances. Townships under NDCC 58-03 may adopt their own animal control rules but most have not. Civil liability for dog bites in North Dakota follows a modified negligence rule - owners are not strictly liable, but knowledge of vicious propensities (the so-called 'one bite rule') creates liability under common law and NDCC 42-03.