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

Section 6-16 of the Forsyth County Code triggers a spay/neuter order the moment a dog is declared a "dangerous dog" or "potentially dangerous dog" by the department of public health or the Forsyth County Sheriff's Office (FCSO), or has bitten a human being or another animal without being provoked. The owner then has thirty (30) days to have the dog spayed or neutered and must produce proof of the procedure to FCSO on request; the code does not carve out a waiver for this specific requirement.

The mandate also arrives independently through the chapter's escalating penalty table at section 6-55(d): an owner's third animal-control violation, whether or not it involves a dangerous-dog finding, triggers microchipping, a secure-enclosure requirement, and a court-ordered spay/neuter within fourteen (14) days if the animal is not already sterilized. 00 by the fifth offense, at which point FCSO is authorized to seize the animal outright under section 6-18(f). FCSO issues written citations under section 6-55(c), and the penalty must be paid within seventy-two (72) hours; an impounded animal cannot be redeemed from the county shelter until all citations are paid in full.

Because these triggers turn on behavior, a bite, a dangerousness finding, or a repeat-offense count, rather than a universal pet-ownership rule, an unaltered dog with no bite history and no violation record is not required to be sterilized under this chapter.