Asheville, NC Animal Ordinances: Mandatory Spay/Neuter (2026)

Asheville City Code Sec. 3-5(b) requires anyone who owns, keeps, harbors or has custody of a dog or cat six months of age or older to have the animal spayed or neutered. The requirement is waived only if the owner holds an unaltered animal permit issued by the city's license-collecting agent under Sec. 3-5(c). Four exceptions exist: registered service dogs and working police dogs; non-residents staying in the city 30 days or less within a 12-month span; animal shelters and veterinary hospitals; and animals a licensed veterinarian certifies would face a life-endangering risk from the procedure.

00; the city issues a certificate identifying the animal as unaltered, and that certificate must be available for inspection at any time. A citation for lacking the permit is issued only if the owner is also violating another provision of Chapter 3, such as the at-large or nuisance rules in Sec. 3-9. The spay/neuter mandate runs alongside Asheville's separate annual dog registration and rabies-vaccination duties in the same section and in Sec. 3-23, so an owner who registers a dog must also show proof of vaccination and, for an intact animal, the unaltered permit.

Enforcement falls to the animal control officer and the director of animal control created under Sec. 3-6, who can inspect premises and issue civil citations under the general penalty scheme of Sec. 3-20.