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

Sec. 3-8(a) of the Gaston County Code sets the county's leash law: any animal must stay exclusively on the owner's real property unless it is off that property under the direct control of a person and physically restrained by a chain, leash or harness strong enough to hold it, with the leash held in that person's hand. Sec. 3-2 defines 'at large' as 'an animal roaming unrestrained off the owner's property beyond the owner's exclusive control,' and Sec. 3-5(e)(2) separately lists 'the keeping of any animal which is at large' as a public-nuisance offense a resident can report to animal control.

The code carves out four exceptions in Sec. 3-8(a): service animals under an impaired handler's direct control and obedience (an officer may ask for proof of registration), a working police dog on duty, a dog on organized hunting activity on private property with the landowner's consent, and a dog engaged in organized dog-sport activities. If an owner relies on a fence instead, Sec. 3-8(b) requires the fence to be 'adequate to contain the animal,' and an invisible or electronic fence must be paired with a visible, permanent sign on the property stating that one is installed.

Animal control officers can pick up any animal running at large under Sec. 3-4(1) and take it to the county shelter, where under Sec. 3-9(e) it is held a minimum of three working days before the shelter can put it up for adoption, transfer or euthanasia. Violating the leash requirement exposes an owner to the Chapter 3 misdemeanor and civil-penalty scheme in Sec. 3-13, up to $500 per offense, with continuing violations charged day by day.