In unincorporated Wake County, NC, Β§ 91.07(A)(1) of the Wake County Code makes it unlawful for any owner to permit an animal to be at large. Section 91.07(C) goes further for dogs in any public park: a dog must be under leash restraint at all times unless the park is specifically designated as a dog park. Civil penalties under Β§ 91.99 start at $100 for a first violation and escalate. Animal Services may impound an at-large animal under Β§Β§ 91.50β91.58. State law N.C. Gen. Stat. Β§ 67-12 separately bans dogs over six months old from running at large at night. The county code does not apply inside incorporated cities (Raleigh, Cary, Apex, Wake Forest, etc.), which each have their own leash codes.
Wake County's leash framework is built on three sections of County Code Chapter 91. The core prohibition lives in Β§ 91.07(A)(1): "It shall be unlawful for any owner to permit an animal to be at large." "At large" means off the owner's premises and not under the immediate physical control of the owner or some competent person. There are narrow statutory exceptions in Β§ 91.07: an animal that has not been declared dangerous or potentially dangerous may be off-leash at a sanctioned dog show, obedience class, tracking test, field-training event, or other recognized organization's event; hunting dogs may be at large in the course of lawful hunting if under the owner's control. Outside those exceptions, every dog (and every other animal subject to control) must be confined to the owner's property or under physical restraint.
Section 91.07(C) imposes a stricter leash mandate specifically in public parks: "It shall be unlawful for any person owning or having possession, charge, custody or control of any dog to take the dog into or allow the dog to enter any public park without being at all times under the restraint of a leash unless the park is designated as a dog park." That language applies to county-managed parks and greenways and is the legal basis for the leash-required signs throughout the Wake County park system. Wake County operates several designated off-leash dog parks (e.g., Carolina Pines, Millbrook Exchange, Oak View, Lake Crabtree) where dogs may legally be off-leash inside the fenced enclosure only.
Violations of Β§ 91.07 are civil citations under Β§ 91.99(B). Penalties currently start at $100 for the first violation, with escalating amounts for repeat at-large violations within a 12-month period. Each day a violation continues is a separate offense. Wake County Animal Services may also confiscate the animal and impound it at the county shelter under Β§Β§ 91.50β91.58 of the Code, and the owner must pay impound and boarding fees before reclaiming the animal.
State law adds a second layer. N.C. Gen. Stat. Β§ 67-12 makes it independently unlawful "for any person to allow his dog over six months old to run at large in the nighttime unaccompanied by the owner or by some member of the owner's family, or some other person by the owner's permission." A nighttime at-large dog can therefore be charged under both the county ordinance and state law. Continuous barking, howling, or other disruptive animal noise that materially interferes with the comfort of neighbors is a separate Chapter 91 nuisance violation under Β§ 91.08 β but, per the Wake County Animal Services FAQ, Animal Control itself does not have primary jurisdiction over noise violations; magistrates and local police handle those complaints. Under Β§ 91.07(D)-equivalent provisions, the County Code applies only in the unincorporated portion of the county; the 17 incorporated municipalities (Raleigh, Cary, Apex, Wake Forest, Garner, Knightdale, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, Morrisville, Rolesville, Zebulon, and others) maintain their own leash and at-large ordinances, which are typically as strict or stricter than Β§ 91.07.
Allowing an animal to be at large in unincorporated Wake County is a civil violation under Β§ 91.07 carrying a $100 civil penalty for the first offense under Β§ 91.99(B)(1), with escalating amounts for repeat at-large violations within a 12-month period. Each day a violation continues is a separate offense. Animal Services may confiscate an at-large animal and impound it under Β§Β§ 91.50β91.58; impound and boarding fees are paid before release in addition to the civil penalty. A nighttime at-large violation under N.C. Gen. Stat. Β§ 67-12 is a separate state-law offense. A leash violation in a public park under Β§ 91.07(C) is enforced on the same Β§ 91.99 schedule. Continuous barking or other animal nuisance under Β§ 91.08 is independently citable. Inside incorporated cities (Raleigh, Cary, Apex, Wake Forest, Garner, Knightdale, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, Morrisville, etc.), the municipal animal code applies instead β most cities have similar or higher penalties.
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