The Currituck County Board of Commissioners amended the animal control ordinance on August 4, 2025, to better define animal cruelty in regards to the tethering of animals. Pursuant to Section 3-64, Cruelty to Animals of the Currituck County Code of Ordinances, failing to provide proper shelter and protection from weather constitutes animal cruelty.
The amendment adds the following: Outdoor tethering does not meet the requirement of proper shelter and protection during a hurricane warning or if the animal is not safe from predators or well suited or equipped to tolerate its environment. Unless an animal control officer has inspected an animal’s individual circumstances and determined it to be safe from predators and well suited and equipped to tolerate its environment, no such outdoor tethering during a heat advisory, a severe weather warning, or a period when the temperature is 85 degrees Fahrenheit or higher or 32 degrees Fahrenheit or lower shall constitute provision of proper shelter.
It also mandates that any tether shall be at least 15 feet in length or four times the length of the animal, whichever is greater.
