Wilmington, NC Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

2 defines a kennel as any place where five or more dogs over four months of age are kept or maintained by the property owner or occupant, whether or not the dogs are used commercially or owned by someone else. Anyone who crosses that five-dog threshold must obtain an annual kennel permit before maintaining the animals, and operating without one is unlawful under subsection (a). To get the permit, the code enforcement officer requires proof of rabies vaccination and New Hanover County licensing for every dog, compliance with the kennel size and location standards of Section 19-73, no cruelty-to-animals findings against the applicant within the prior five years, no unresolved waste or sanitation violations tied to the premises, and no confirmed barking or dangerous-dog complaints in the preceding twelve months.

Only one kennel permit may issue per premises, and every dog on the lot counts toward the five-dog total regardless of ownership. If a permit is denied or revoked, the owner has thirty days to either come into compliance or reduce the number of dogs on the premises to no more than four, which is the effective cap for a household that does not hold a kennel permit. The section defines "dog" narrowly as Canis familiaris and does not set a numeric limit on cats.