Charleston, SC Animal Ordinances: Mandatory Spay/Neuter (2026)
Key Facts
- 1st intact redemption fee
- $200.00 in a calendar year
- 2nd intact redemption fee
- $300.00 in a calendar year
- 3rd intact redemption fee
- $500.00 in a calendar year
- 4th impoundment
- Mandatory sterilization, no intact option
- Vet exemption
- Written statement sterilization is medically inadvisable
- Earliest sterilization
- 5th working day after impoundment
Summary
Charleston will not release an impounded, fertile dog or cat back to its owner intact unless the owner pays a steeply escalating redemption fee: $200 the first time, $300 the second, $500 the third, and on a fourth impoundment in the same calendar year the animal must be surgically sterilized before it can go home at all.
(a)Sterilization; intact redemption fee. No impounded fertile dog or cat may be redeemed intact without first having been surgically sterilized and a fee paid therefor, which fee shall not exceed the then existing sterilization fee charged by the shelter, unless:(1)It is the first time the dog or cat has been impounded and the owner of the dog or cat pays a redemption fee of two hundred dollars ($200.00) to redeem the dog or cat intact. If an intact dog or cat is impounded for a second time in a calendar year, the dog or cat may not be redeemed intact unless the owner pays a redemption fee of three hundred dollars ($300.00). If an intact dog or cat is impounded for a third time in a calendar year, it may not be redeemed intact unless the owner pays a redemption fee of five hundred dollars ($500.00). If an intact dog or cat is impounded for a fourth time in a calendar year, it may not be redeemed without first having been surgically sterilized and a fee paid therefor...
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 114 | Zoning: Supplement 25).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 00 the third time, and mandatory sterilization with no intact option on the fourth impoundment. An owner can also avoid sterilization by furnishing a licensed veterinarian's statement that spay or neuter is medically inadvisable at that time. Sec. 5-57(b) limits the whole scheme to animals whose owner resides within the City of Charleston, and bars sterilization from occurring sooner than the fifth working day after impoundment unless the owner consents in writing earlier. The rule sits inside Chapter 5, Article III's impoundment scheme: Sec.
5-56 separately requires payment of impound fees, boarding fees, outstanding fines, veterinary charges and the cost of rabies vaccination before any animal is released, and Sec. 5-56(b) bars an animal impounded more than three times in a year from remaining in the city at all, with a judge able to award permanent custody to the animal control division.
Violations & Fines
There is no separate criminal citation for declining sterilization; the consequence is that the shelter will not release the animal intact without payment of the applicable tiered fee (or, on a fourth impoundment in a year, at all without sterilization). Chapter-wide violations of Ch. 5 are otherwise punishable under Sec. 1-16 (fine to $500 and/or up to 30 days jail), and Sec. 5-56(b) allows the court to award permanent custody of a repeatedly impounded animal to the division after three impoundments in a year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get my dog back intact after its first impoundment in Charleston?
What happens on a fourth impoundment in the same year?
Does the sterilization requirement apply to non-residents?
Can a vet get my pet out of the sterilization requirement?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Charleston
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