Lincoln County, SD Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Lincoln County's leash rule is set out in § 91.01, RUNNING AT LARGE PROHIBITED, which forbids the owner of any animal, not only dogs, from permitting it to run at large in the unincorporated county. The section defines running at large as being off the premises and not under the immediate physical control of the owner, possessor, keeper, agent, servant, or a member of the owner's immediate family. It also builds in an evidentiary shortcut for the Sheriff's Office: whenever an animal is found running at large, that fact alone is prima facie evidence the owner permitted it, shifting the burden to the owner to explain how the animal got loose.

Section 91.06 lets the Sheriff, a police officer, or another proper authority impound any animal caught in violation, and the owner must pay all impoundment costs before the animal can be redeemed. Section 91.08 makes the Sheriff responsible for enforcing the whole chapter and bars anyone from hindering, delaying, or obstructing that enforcement. Chapter 91 carries a single penalty provision, § 91.99, which classifies any violation, including running at large, as a Class 2 misdemeanor. The chapter dates to Ordinance 9511-09, adopted November 14, 1995, and has not been separately amended for the leash requirement since.