Sumter County, SC Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)

Sumter County Code Sec. 6-20(a) makes it unlawful for any dog owner or person with custody of a dog to allow that dog to run at-large off property owned, rented, or controlled by that person within the unincorporated areas of the county. Subsection (b) separately bars letting a female dog run at-large during estrus, the heat period. Section 6-19 defines a dog as "running at-large" unless it is "under restraint," meaning on the owner's premises, on a leash or similar device under the owner's physical control, or under active control while hunting or training on permitted property.

The article also regulates tethering: Sec. 6-20(f) requires any tether to attach to a proper harness or collar, be at least 15 feet long, use a swivel, and keep the dog at least 15 feet from any public road, with access to shade, food, and water, and bars tethering during extreme heat, near-freezing temperatures, hurricanes, thunderstorms, or floods. A vicious dog must additionally be muzzled or restrained under Sec. 6-20(c). Enforcement runs through the County Sheriff, sheriff's deputies, county constables, and any person the County Administrator designates as an animal control officer under Sec.

6-19. If a dog running loose causes property damage or injury on land it does not belong on, Sec. 6-22 makes the owner liable for the damage plus the county's seizure and shelter costs, and a lien attaches to the dog for those expenses. Abandoning a dog anywhere in the county is separately unlawful under Sec. 6-20(d) and Sec. 6-25, and interfering with an officer who has seized a loose dog under this article is itself a punishable offense under Sec. 6-20(e).