This is a look at some of North Carolina State Animal Control
Laws. It is not the entire list of laws. Since laws change from time to time,
if you have questions regarding any law or any part of a law, you are encouraged to
contact your local Animal Control Agency.
The owner of every dog and cat over four months of age shall have
the animal vaccinated against rabies. Rabies vaccination shall be administered only
by a licensed veterinarian or by a certified rabies vaccinator.
A licensed veterinarian or a certified rabies vaccinator who
administers rabies vaccine to a dog or cat shall issue a rabies vaccination tag to the
owner of the animal. The rabies vaccination tag shall show the year issued, a
vaccination number, the words "North Carolina" or the initials "N.C."
and the words "rabies vaccine." Dogs and cats shall wear rabies
vaccination tags at all times. Rabies vaccination tags, links and rivets may be obtained
from the Department. The Secretary is authorized to establish by rule a fee for the
rabies tags, links and rivets. Except as otherwise authorized in this section,
the fee shall not exceed the actual cost of the rabies tags, links and rivets, plus
transportation costs. The Secretary may increase the fee beyond the actual cost
plus transportation, by an amount not to exceed five cents per tag, to fund rabies
education and prevention programs.
(a) A dogs or cat brought into this State shall immediately be
securely confined and shall be vaccinated against rabies within one week after
entry. The animal shall remain confined for two weeks after vaccination.
(b) The provisions of subsection (a) shall not apply to:
(1) A dog or cat brought into this State
for exhibition purposes if the animal is confined and
not
permitted to run at large; or
(2) A dog or cat brought into this State
accompanied by a certificate issued by a licensed
veterinarian showing that the dog or cat is apparently free from and has not been exposed
to rabies
and that the dog or cat has received rabies vaccine within the past year.
When a person has been bitten by a dog or cat, the person or parent, guardian or person standing in loco parentis of the person, and the person owning the animal or in control or possession of the animal shall notify the local health director immediately and give the name and address of the person bitten and the owner of the animal. All dogs and cats that bite a person shall be immediately confined for 10 days in a place designated by the local health director. After reviewing the circumstances of the particular case, the local health director may allow the owner to confine the animal on the owner's property. An owner who fails to confine his animal in accordance with the instructions of the local health director shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punishable by a fine not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00), imprisonment for six months, or both. If the owner or the person who controls or possesses a dog or cat that has bitten a person refuses to confine the animal as required by this section, the local health director may order seizure of the animal and its confinement for 10 days at the expense of the owner. A physician who attends a person bitten by an animal know to be a potential carrier of rabies shall report within 24 hours to the local health director the name, age and sex of that person.
A dog or cat bitten by a proven rabid animal or
animal suspected of having rabies that is not available for laboratory diagnosis shall be
destroyed immediately by its owner, the county Animal Control Officer or a peace officer
unless the dog or cat has been vaccinated against rabies in accordance with these part and
the rules of the Commission more than three weeks prior to being bitten, and is given a
dose of rabies vaccine within three days of the bite.
A local health director in whose county or district rabies is found
in the wild animal population as evidence by a positive diagnosis of rabies in the past
year in any wild animal, except a bet, may petition the State Health Director to declare a
rabies emergency in the county or district. In determining whether a rabies
emergency exists, the State Health Director shall consult with the Public Health
Veterinarian and the State Agriculture Veterinarian and my consult with any other source
of veterinary expertise the State Health Director deems advisable. Upon finding that
a rabies emergency exists in a county or district, the State Health Director shall
petition the Executive Director of the Wildlife Resources Commission to develop a plan
pursuant to G. S. 113-291.2(a1) to reduce the threat of rabies exposure to humans and
domestic animals by foxes, raccoons, skunks, or bobcats in the county or district.
Upon determination by the State Health Director that the rabies emergency no longer exists
for a county or district, the State Health Director shall immediately notify the Executive
Director of the Wildlife Resources Commission.
If any person owning or having any bitch shall knowingly permit her
to run at large during the erotic stage of copulation he shall be guilty of a misdemeanor
and fined not exceeding fifty dollars ($50.00) or imprisoned not exceeding 30 days.
No person shall allow his dog over six months old to run at large in
the nighttime unaccompanied by the owner or by some member of the owner's family, or some
other person by the owner's permission. Any person intentionally, knowingly, and
willfully violation this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction
shall be fined not exceeding fifty dollars ($50.00) or imprisoned not exceed 30 days, and
shall also be liable in damages to any person injured or suffering loss to his property or
chattels.
Any animal that is in a person's possession is the subject of
larceny.
Any person who knows or has reason to know that an animal is used
for law-enforcement purposes such as investigation, detection of narcotics or explosives,
or crowd control, by any law-enforcement agency and who willfully and not in self defense,
causes, serious injury to or kills that animal is guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be
fined or imprisoned, or both, in the discretion of the court..
If any person shall willfully overdrive, overload, wound, injure,
torture, torment, deprive of necessary sustenance, cruelly beat, needlessly mutilate or
kill or cause or procure to be overdriven, over loaded, wounded, injured, tortured,
tormented, deprived of necessary sustenance, cruelly beaten, needlessly mutilated or
killed s aforesaid, any useful beast, fowl or animal, every such offender shall for every
such offense be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to one thousand dollars
($1,000) and imprisonment for up to one year. In this section, and in every law
which may be enacted relating to animals, the words "animal" and dumb
animal" shall be held to include every living creature; the words
"torture," "torment" or "cruelty" shall be held to include
every act, omission or neglect whereby unjustifiable physical pain, suffering or death is
caused or permitted. Such terms shall not be construed to prohibit the lawful taking
of animals under the jurisdiction and regulation of the Wildlife Resources Commission.
If any person shall willfully set on foot, or instigate, or move to
, carry on, or promote, or engage in, or do any act towards the furtherance of any act of
cruelty to any animal, he shall be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to
one thousand dollars ($1,000) and imprisonment for up to one year.
Any person being the owner or possessor, or having charge or custody
of an animal, who willfully and without justifiable excuse abandons the animal is guilty
of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to fine hundred dollars ($500) and
imprisonment for up to six months.
A person who instigates, promotes, conducts, is
employed at, allows property under his ownership or control to be used for, participates
as a spectator at, or profits from an exhibition featuring the fighting of a cock is
guilty of a misdemeanor and is punishable by imprisonment for up to six months and a fine
of up to fine hundred dollars ($500). A lease of property that is used or is
intended to be used for an exhibition featuring the fighting of a cock is void, and a
lessor who knows this use is made or is intended to be made of his property is under a
duty to evict the lessee immediately.
(a) A person who instigates, promotes,
conducts, is employed at, provides an animal for, allows property under his ownership or
control to be used for, or profits from an exhibition featuring the fighting or baiting of
an animal, other than a; cock or a dog, is guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor. A
lease of property that is used or intended to be used for an exhibition featuring the
fighting or baiting of an animal, other than a; cock or a dog, is void and a lessor
who knows this use is made or intended to b e made of his property is under a duty to
evict the lessee immediately.
(b) A person who owns, possesses, or trains an animal, other than
a; cock or a dog, with the intent that the animal be used in an exhibition
featuring the fighting or baiting of that animal or any other animal is guilty of a Class
2 misdemeanor.
(c) A person who participates as a spectator at an exhibition
featuring the fighting or baiting of an animal, other than a; cock or a dog, is
guilty of a Class 2 misdemeanor.
(d) A person who commits an offense under subsection (a) within
three years after being convicted of an offense under this section is guilty of a Class 1
felony.
(e) This section does not prohibit the lawful taking or training
of animals under the jurisdiction and regulation of the Wildlife Resources Commission.
(a) A person who instigates, promotes, conducts, is employed
at, provides a dog for, allows property under his ownership or control to be used for,
gambles on, or profits from an exhibition featuring the fighting or baiting of a dog is
guilty of a Class H felony. A lease of property that is used or in intended to
be used for an exhibition featuring the fighting or baiting of a dog is void, and a lessor
who knows this use is made or is intended to be made of his property is under duty to
evict the lessee immediately.
(b) A person who owns, possesses, or trains a dog with the intent
that the dog be used in a n exhibition featuring the fighting or baiting of that dog is
guilty of a Class H felony.
(c) A person who participates as a spectator at an exhibition
featuring the fighting or baiting of a dog is guilty of a Class H felony.
If any person shall throw into or leave exposed in any public
square, street, lane, alley or open lot in any city, town or village, or in any public
road, any mock orange or other poisonous shrub, plant, tree or vegetable, he shall be
liable in damages to any person injured thereby and shall also be guilty of a misdemeanor
punishable by a fine not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500), imprisonment for not more
than six months, or both.
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation put or
place any strychnine, other poisonous compounds or ground glass on any beef or other
foodstuff of any kind in any public square, street, lane, alley or on any lot in any
village, town or city or on any public road, open field, woods or yard in the
country. Any person, firm or corporation who violates the provisions of this section
shall be liable in damages to the person injured thereby and also shall be guilty of a
misdemeanor, and upon conviction shall be fined or imprisoned, at the discretion of the
court. This section shall not apply to the poisoning of insects or worms for the
purpose of protecting crops or gardens by spraying plants, crops or trees nor to poisons
used in rat extermination.
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This page is under construction. If you have a question reguarding North Carolina Animal Control Laws, or Beaufort County Animal Control Ordinance, call 946-4517.
If you have questions about, City of Washington, Town of Aurora or Town of Belhaven Animal Control Laws, contact the town or city managers office.
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© Carole Gunn 1998