Pitt County, NC Animal Ordinances: Microchipping (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- Any dog impounded by Animal Services
- Who pays
- Owner pays the microchip's actual cost
- Timing
- Chip inserted before reclamation is allowed
- Scope
- No blanket chip mandate for dogs never impounded
- Citation
- Part III, Section 2(E)
Summary
Pitt County doesn't run a county-wide chipping mandate for pet dogs at home. It does require the Animal Shelter to microchip every dog it impounds before the owner can reclaim it, and the owner pays the chip's actual cost as part of getting the dog back.
E. The Animal Shelter shall insert a microchip in all dogs who have been impounded pursuant to this Ordinance, prior to reclamation by the dog's owner. The actual cost of the microchip shall be paid by the owner prior to reclamation.
Full Breakdown
The requirement sits inside the "Dogs at Large Prohibited" section of Part III, so it triggers when a dog is picked up as a stray or at-large violator, not when a dog is simply registered or vaccinated at home. The ordinance doesn't set a flat chip fee; the owner pays whatever the microchip actually costs, on top of the reclamation and boarding fees and any civil penalties required under Part III, Section 4's redemption process, all of which must be settled within 120 hours (5 days) of impoundment before the shelter releases the dog.
Pitt County layers a second, separate identification rule on top of this for dogs already declared dangerous: Part IV, Section 4(D) requires those dogs to carry a permanent registration number by chip implant, tattoo, microchip, or branding, at the owner's expense, and bars anyone from removing it once assigned. That dangerous-dog ID rule applies regardless of whether the dog was ever impounded, while the Part III microchip rule applies only at the point of shelter intake and redemption for any dog, dangerous or not.
Violations & Fines
A dog cannot be reclaimed from the Animal Shelter until it is microchipped and the owner has paid the actual cost of the chip, along with any reclamation fees, boarding fees and civil penalties. If the owner doesn't complete redemption, including payment for the chip, within the 120-hour window, the dog becomes county property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Pitt County require every dog to be microchipped?
Who pays for the microchip?
Is this the same chip requirement that applies to dangerous dogs?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Pitt County
Compare Pitt County to another location·View the North Carolina animal ordinances overview
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