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

The core at-large offense sits in Sec. 3-8(1): an animal not under the direct control of its owner that an animal control officer determines is at large can be picked up, and the owner may be fined under Sec. 3-19's penalty schedule. Section 3-1 defines 'restraint' precisely: sufficient physical human control through a leash, cage or carrier, bridle, or similar humane device, or confinement by a fence or secure enclosure on the owner's premises. Tethering an animal unattended does not satisfy the restraint definition. Once the chief animal control officer has declared a dog a public nuisance under Sec.

3-8(4) or potentially dangerous under Sec. 3-8(6), the code adds a heavier duty: that dog must be on a leash at all times when off the owner's property, and while outside its required secure enclosure it may leave only leashed and, if declared potentially dangerous, muzzled with a muzzle that still allows panting. Animal control officers and other law enforcement officers are separately empowered under Sec. 3-15(1)a to seize and impound any animal running at large in violation of Sec. 3-8(1) or (2), and impoundment does not excuse the owner from the fine.

A female dog or cat in estrus faces its own restraint duty under Sec. 3-8(2): she must be kept in a secure enclosure or under restraint that is not merely tying her to a stationary object, so she cannot come into unintentional contact with a male.