Guilford County, NC Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)
Key Facts
- Restraint required
- Incorporated areas or lots under 1 acre
- Restraint exempt
- Unincorporated lots 1 acre or larger
- Cats excluded
- From the restraint requirement
- Tether minimum length
- 10 feet, with anti-choke swivel
- Hunting dog exception
- Voice-controlled dogs while hunting
Summary
Dogs on a Guilford County lot under one acre must be leashed, caged, fenced or otherwise physically restrained at all times. On a lot of one acre or more in the unincorporated county, a dog can run free without any fence or leash, as long as it isn't creating a nuisance next door.
Sec. 5-9(a). It shall be unlawful for any person owning or controlling any animal to allow the same to create a nuisance or public danger by running at large... (1) Restraint of animals (in incorporated areas or on less than one acre). It shall be unlawful for any person owning or having possession, charge, custody or control of any animal, excluding cats, to keep such animal on or off his premises unless such animal is under sufficient physical restraint such as a leash, bridle, cage or similar device which restrains and controls the animal... (2) Restraint of animals (on one acre or more in unincorporated areas). Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (1) above, animals kept on a lot or parcel of real property in an unincorporated area one acre or greater in size do not have to be kept within a fence or other secure enclosure or under any physical restraint while on such premises. This exemption does not relieve any person of the duty to prevent his/her animal from constituting a nuisance under section 5-10 below.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 5-9(a) makes it unlawful for anyone owning or controlling an animal to let it create a nuisance or public danger by running at large, and directs animal control or law enforcement to pick up any at-large dog, cat, fowl or other domestic animal and deliver it to the county shelter. Subsection (a)(1) then sets the baseline restraint rule for incorporated areas or any unincorporated lot under one acre: the owner must keep the dog under "sufficient physical restraint," meaning a leash, bridle, cage or similar device, a fence, an invisible fence with a posted warning sign, or confinement in a vehicle.
Subsection (a)(2) carves out unincorporated lots of one acre or larger: dogs there do not have to be fenced, leashed or otherwise physically restrained while on the property, though the owner still cannot let the dog become a nuisance under Sec. 5-10. Sec. 5-9(b) separately protects hunting and working dogs under voice control while actively hunting or working in the unincorporated county. Restraint devices used for tethering must be at least ten feet long with a swivel to prevent choking. Enforcement runs through Sec. S. 14-4 to violate the chapter, with civil penalties set in the fee schedule attached as an appendix.
Violations & Fines
Letting a dog run at large off a one-acre-plus unincorporated lot, or failing to restrain it on a smaller lot, is a misdemeanor under Sec. 5-27(a), punishable per G.S. 14-4, on top of civil penalties from the chapter's fee schedule. Sec. 5-27(c) specifically authorizes escalating penalties against the same owner for repeat restraint violations, whether involving the same dog or a different one. An at-large dog can also be impounded at the county shelter under Sec. 5-19.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to leash my dog on my own property in unincorporated Guilford County?
Are cats required to be leashed in Guilford County?
Can my dog run loose while I'm hunting on unincorporated land?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Guilford County
Compare Guilford County to another location·View the North Carolina animal ordinances overview
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