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

Sec. 5-29(A), effective January 1, 2018, makes it unlawful to own or harbor a dog or cat over six months old that has not been spayed or neutered unless the owner holds an unaltered animal permit issued by the Department of Animal Services. The section lists specific exceptions: service dogs and government detector or police working dogs; non-residents temporarily in the county 30 days or less; veterinary hospitals; animals a licensed veterinarian certifies would be medically harmed by the procedure; licensed high-volume kennels or breeders under Sec.

5-4; and dogs or cats classified as purebred by a recognized registry such as the American Kennel Club or Cat Fanciers Association whose owner can prove participation in a sanctioned event. Sec. 00, or whatever fee the Board of Commissioners later sets in the approved schedule, and requires the animal to wear an identifying unaltered-animal tag at all times. The ordinance built in a phase-in: for the first 90 days after the January 1, 2018 effective date, the county issued warning citations only; after that 90-day window, citations could be issued to owners of unaltered animals without a permit, though a citation is waived if the animal is altered within 30 days of being cited.

A citation under Sec. 5-30 is issued only when the animal is also in violation of another provision of chapter 5, meaning the permit requirement is enforced alongside, not instead of, other animal control violations.