Animal Ordinances in Shelby, NC (2026)
4 verified animal ordinances for Shelby, North Carolina, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Shelby bans keeping hogs, pigs, or swine within 400 feet of any residence, business, cemetery, playground, or park inside city limits, effectively pushing pig-keeping out of most residential neighborhoods.
Shelby Hog Pen 400-Foot Setback Rule
Some RestrictionsShelby, NC Code of Ordinances § 4-1 (Location of pigpens)
It shall be unlawful for any person who owns or maintains hogs, pigs or swine within the corporate limits of the city to keep them closer than 400 feet to any residence, place of business, cemetery, playground or park within the city limits.(b)A violation of this section is punishable as a misdemeanor. (Code 1985, § 3-3; Ord. No. 24-2022, § 1, 5-16-2022) State Law reference— Similar provisi...
Dog Leash Laws
Shelby dogs must stay on their owner's property or be on a tether or leash anywhere else, with fines starting at $50.
Shelby Dog Leash and Restraint Law
Some RestrictionsShelby City Code Sec. 4-71(a)
No dog shall be kept, maintained or allowed off the premises owned or controlled by its owner or keeper unless it is then controlled by a tether, leash or similar device.(b)In addition to all other penalties prescribed by law, a dog is subject to impoundment and all other applicable provisions of the Cleveland County Animal Control Ordinance, if the dog is found off the premises of its owner or...
Breed Restrictions
Shelby makes it unlawful to own or keep any animal declared dangerous or potentially dangerous, based on behavior rather than breed, punishable as a misdemeanor.
Shelby Bans Keeping Dangerous Animals
Significant RestrictionsSec. 4-5, Shelby City Code
It shall be unlawful for any person to own, keep or otherwise maintain any dangerous or potentially dangerous animal within the city. For purposes of this section, a dangerous animal is defined as an animal that without provocation has killed or inflicted severe injury on a person or another animal. A potentially dangerous animal means an animal that has been determined by the city to have carr...
Pet Limits
Shelby declares keeping too many dogs a public nuisance if the numbers create unsanitary, noisy, or annoying conditions for neighbors.
Shelby Excessive-Dogs Nuisance Rule
Some RestrictionsShelby, NC Code of Ordinances, Sec. 4-45(6)
The owning, keeping or maintenance of any dogs within the corporate limits of the city that, by reason of the numbers being kept, creates conditions that are unsanitary or noisy, or cause serious annoyance to neighboring residents, or which interfere with the reasonable use and enjoyment of the premises occupied by such residents. (Code 1985, § 3-30; Ord. No. 45-98, § 2, 8-17-1998) Cross re...