Kill Devil Hills, NC Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Kill Devil Hills Town Code § 94.10, titled Restraint, sets the town's leash requirement in two short subsections. Subsection (A) bars a person from allowing a dog to be unrestrained at any time it is off the custodian's own property and not under the custodian's direct control, meaning a dog loose in a yard the owner controls is fine, but the same dog on a beach access, sidewalk or neighbor's lot must be on a leash or otherwise directly controlled. Subsection (B) separately requires an animal riding in the rear or open bed of a vehicle, such as a pickup truck, to be secured by a leash or lead, cage, bridle or similar restraint as the chapter defines it.

A dog running at large in violation of this restraint rule can also be treated as a public nuisance under the town's alternate abatement procedure in § 94.12 when it has dangerous or destructive propensities, such as knocking over garbage cans, destroying property or chasing residents, letting the Chief of Police order the dog restrained, penned or removed within 48 hours of written notice. A loose dog can additionally be picked up and impounded under § 94.13, with the Animal Control Division posting notice and the owner able to redeem the dog under § 94.14 by paying the required fees, or having it destroyed if it goes unclaimed. None of these provisions apply on the owner's own property, where a dog under the owner's direct control is not required to be leashed.