Aiken County, SC Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Section 4-30, Animals running at large, states it is unlawful for a dog owner to permit, intentionally or unintentionally, a dog to run at large except on property owned, rented, or controlled by the owner. Anywhere else, the dog "must be kept under restraint or confinement and under the physical control of the owner by means of a leash or other physically attached restraining device," meaning voice control alone does not satisfy the ordinance off the owner's own land. Subsection (b) exempts dogs participating in or training for hunting events, obedience trials, conformation shows, tracking tests, herding trials, terrier trials, or lure courses, but only while under the direct control of their owner during that activity; a dog let loose outside those specific structured activities gets no exemption.

A dog that repeatedly runs at large or otherwise causes trouble can escalate into a separate designation: Sec. 4-31 treats an animal as a public nuisance if it is found at large two or more times in a 24-month period, among other listed behaviors like chasing vehicles or excessive barking, which can trigger mandatory registration under Sec. 4-22(b) as part of a court sentence. Enforcement runs through Aiken County Animal Control officers and sheriff's deputies, who under Sec. 4-20 may impound an at-large dog immediately upon capture and, in lieu of or in addition to impoundment, issue the owner a citation or a notice to appear before a magistrate.

Redemption of an impounded dog under Sec. 4-21(b) requires proof of ownership, current rabies vaccination, and payment of impoundment and per diem boarding fees, with an added impoundment fee applying to second and subsequent impoundments.