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

Sec. 4-41(a) makes it unlawful for any animal to be 'at large,' defined at Sec. 4-33 as being on someone else's property without that person's consent and not under the physical control of its owner or another competent person. Sec. 4-41(a)(2) layers on a specific leash mandate: a dog must be on a leash at all times whenever it is in a park, school, building, or other area open to the public, unless the location is a designated dog park. Two narrow exceptions apply under Sec.

4-41(b): an animal that isn't dangerous may be off-leash during a sanctioned show, obedience trial, tracking test, or field training event, and hunting dogs may run at large while actually hunting, provided the owner keeps them under control; neither exception excuses compliance with any other provision of the chapter. Sec. 4-41(c) directs animal services to impound any animal found at large in violation of the section, and reclaiming it is not automatic: Sec. 4-41(d) conditions release on the owner agreeing to have the animal microchipped within 30 days, and Sec.

4-41(f) requires alteration within 30 days if the animal is impounded at large a second or subsequent time, unless the owner reported the animal missing within three business days of impoundment. Sec. 4-194 makes a violation enforceable as a misdemeanor under G.S. 14-4, and Sec. 4-195 layers on the county's civil penalty schedule.