Animal Ordinances in Asheville, NC (2026)
11 verified animal ordinances for Asheville, North Carolina, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Keeping chickens or other fowl in Asheville requires an annual license under City Code § 3-50, and roosters are flatly prohibited unless grandfathered from a prior lawful nonconforming use. Fowl must meet the distance rules in § 3-9(a)(3) and stay in a fully enclosed, sanitary coop and run under § 3-52.
Asheville Backyard Chicken & Fowl Rules
Significant RestrictionsAsheville City Code § 3-50
Sec. 3-50. License for keeping. (a) Except for fowl as part of a lawfully established, non-conforming use, or fowl participating in a permitted event, no fowl shall be kept by any person within the city except in accordance with this article. Roosters are expressly prohibited unless associated with a lawfully established, non-conforming use. Roosters previously permitted by the city are grandfa...
Dog Leash Laws
Asheville dogs, and other non-cat animals, must stay on the owner's property or be under an 8-foot leash, chain or harness in a competent handler's hand under City Code Sec. 3-27(a), with exceptions for service dogs, police dogs, and the city's leash-optional dog park.
Asheville Dog Leash & At-Large Law
Some RestrictionsAsheville City Code § 3-27(a)
Sec. 3-27. Restraint of animals. (a) Every person owning or having possession, charge, care, custody or control of any animal shall keep such animal exclusively upon the owner's real property. However, such animal may be off the owner's real property if it is under the physical control of a competent person and physically restrained by a chain, leash or harness, not to exceed eight feet in le...
Breed Restrictions
Asheville does not ban specific breeds, but its animal control officer can declare any dog "dangerous" under N.C.G.S. § 67-4.1 and order strict preventive measures. Once declared, City Code § 3-28 requires the dog stay locked in an approved pen when unattended and be muzzled and restrained off the owner's property.
Asheville Dangerous Dog Declaration Rules
Significant RestrictionsAsheville City Code § 3-28
(a) Circumstances requiring special preventive measures. Upon the finding of any violation in this chapter, or the animal control administrator making a declaration that a dog is potentially dangerous, the animal control officer shall have the authority to require the owner of a dog to comply with specific preventive measures... (7) Preventive measures required for dogs classified "Dangerous" a...
Beekeeping
Asheville allows residential beehives but bans placing one within 100 feet of any neighboring household under City Code Sec. 3-16, and every beekeeper must first get a permit under Article IV of Chapter 3 before hiving bees anywhere in the city.
Asheville Backyard Beekeeping Setback Rule
Some RestrictionsAsheville City Code § 3-16
Sec. 3-16. Keeping of bees. No beehive shall be kept by any person within the city within 100 feet of any household other than that of the owner of the beehive. Any person keeping a bee hive must get a permit in accordance with article IV of this chapter.
Exotic Pets
Asheville bans keeping or exhibiting any wild animal within city limits under City Code Sec. 3-14, covering bears, big cats, primates, venomous snakes and more as defined in Sec. 3-4, with narrow carve-outs for accredited zoos, licensed wildlife rehabilitators and registered research facilities.
Asheville Wild Animal Ownership Ban
Heavy RestrictionsAsheville City Code § 3-14
No person or entity shall keep or exhibit, or permit to be kept or exhibited on his/her/its premises a wild animal within the city limits. This section shall not apply to: (1) An exhibition or educational outreach program by a zoo or aquarium accredited by the Association of Aquariums and Zoos ("AZA"); (2) A wildlife sanctuary or wildlife rehabilitator properly licensed and permitted by the NC ...
Wildlife Feeding
Feeding or attracting bears or other wild animals in a way that endangers people, pets or property is a public nuisance under Asheville City Code Sec. 3-9(a)(6), though the ordinance expressly protects ordinary bird feeders unless an officer orders one removed as an attractant.
Asheville Bear & Wildlife Attractant Ban
Some RestrictionsAsheville City Code § 3-9(a)(6)
(6) The keeping, possession, harboring, feeding, or attracting of animals; wild, feral or domesticated, which threaten the public health, safety and welfare of the community in a manner including, but not limited to, attracting the presence of bears or wild animals that creates a danger to humans, wildlife, or domestic animals, or causes damage to other properties; provided, that nothing her...
Pet Limits
Asheville caps casual pet-keeping at six animals per household or lot; a seventh or more requires a written permit from the animal control administrator under City Code Sec. 3-9(a)(9) and Sec. 3-10, following an inspection and site review.
Asheville Household Pet Limit Ordinance
Significant RestrictionsAsheville City Code § 3-9(a)(9)
(9) Except as otherwise provided in section 3-10, the keeping of seven or more animals per household or lot, regardless of lot size and regardless of whether any of the provisions of this section are violated. This subsection shall not apply to offspring under the age of 16 weeks and to animals kept by a kennel or pet shop licensed in accordance with state and local law and to animals kept by...
Cat Rules
Unlike dogs, pet cats in Asheville aren't required to be leashed off their owner's property under City Code Sec. 3-27(a), though animal control can still impose an individualized restraint order, such as confinement or microchipping, on a specific cat tied to nuisance or bite complaints.
Asheville Cat Leash & Restraint Exemption
Light RestrictionsAsheville City Code § 3-27(a)
(a) Every person owning or having possession, charge, care, custody or control of any animal shall keep such animal exclusively upon the owner's real property. However, such animal may be off the owner's real property if it is under the physical control of a competent person and physically restrained by a chain, leash or harness, not to exceed eight feet in length and held in the hand of said...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Every dog or cat six months or older in Asheville must be spayed or neutered under City Code Sec. 3-5(b), unless the owner buys a $100 lifetime unaltered animal permit from the license-collecting agent. Exceptions cover service and police dogs, vet-certified medical risk, shelters and vets, and short-term visitors.
Asheville Mandatory Spay/Neuter Ordinance
Heavy RestrictionsAsheville City Code § 3-5(b)-(c)
(b) Spaying and neutering requirements. Any person owning, keeping, harboring, or having custody of any dog or cat six months of age or older is required to spay or neuter said animal unless said person holds an unaltered animal permit issued by the license-collecting agent of the city, or any successor agency authorized by law to issue said permit, except: (1) Persons who own, keep, harbor, ...
Microchipping
Asheville has no citywide microchip mandate for every pet, but under City Code § 3-28(b)(4) the animal control officer can order a dog owner to microchip or tattoo their dog, at the owner's own expense, as one of several preventive measures imposed after a bite, aggressive incident or nuisance finding.
Asheville Dog Microchipping Order Rule
Some RestrictionsAsheville City Code § 3-28(b)(4)
(b) Preventive measures. If the animal control officer determines that the circumstances require special preventive measures, then the animal control officer shall have the authority to require appropriate, specific preventive measures which might include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) Necessary repairs to any fence or enclosure. (2) Measures to ensure that a gate will remain secur...
Bird Protection
Asheville designates its entire corporate limits, plus any city-owned land outside them, as a bird sanctuary under City Code Sec. 3-17, making it unlawful to shoot, hunt, trap or kill a bird or destroy a nest or eggs anywhere in town without a state wildlife permit.
Asheville Citywide Bird Sanctuary Law
Heavy RestrictionsAsheville City Code § 3-17
(a) The area embraced within the corporate limits of the city and all land owned or leased by the city outside the corporate limits is hereby designated as a bird sanctuary. (b) It shall be unlawful for any person to: (1) Shoot, hunt, kill, trap or otherwise take any bird or other wild fowl; (2) Collect or destroy any bird's nest or eggs; or (3) Disturb or annoy any bird within such sanctua...
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