Mebane, NC Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Mebane City Code Sec. 4-78 makes it unlawful to permit or suffer a dog to run at large or roam within the city limits except in the company of the owner or a member of the owner's family and upon a leash, cord or chain or under the direct control of a responsible person at all times. Sec. 4-71 defines "at large" as leaving the property of the keeper unless under the direct control of the keeper or the keeper's agent, or, if the animal has no known keeper, simply wandering about on public or private property.

"Direct control" under the same section covers being restrained, obedient to a responsible person's commands, confined in a secure enclosure, or secured inside a vehicle. Sec. 4-79 layers on additional rules for public property: dogs may only go onto designated "dog-friendly areas", meaning city parks outside playing fields and playgrounds, designated dog parks, and public streets and sidewalks, and even there the dog must be leashed and under direct control. Fixed-anchor tethering is separately restricted to specific circumstances, capped generally at three hours in a 24-hour period, with a compliant "lawful tethering system" needing at least a 30-foot cable and a chain of at least ten feet with swivels. Seeing Eye dogs and dogs merely passing through on a leash are exempt from the public-property rule.