Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Animal Control topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Mooresville amends animal ordinance to expand public‑place leash rules, inspection authority and penalties
Summary
The Mooresville Board of Commissioners adopted changes to Chapter 3 of the town code that expand where animals must be restrained, allow inspection of pet stores and public exhibits, prohibit certain sales in parking lots, and authorize civil and criminal penalties.
The Mooresville Board of Commissioners voted to adopt amendments to Chapter 3 (Animals) of the Town of Mooresville Code of Ordinances at its March 3, 2025 meeting, expanding leash requirements, inspection authority and enforcement options.
The ordinance change was introduced by Sharon Crawford of the town legal department, who told the board the update would “require direct control or restraint of animals in all public places to ensure safety of animals and residents” and would allow off‑leash dogs only in designated leash‑free parks, for service animals or police canines.
The changes also add a provision giving animal control authority to inspect pet stores and public exhibits of animals “to prevent abuse,” clarify rules about keeping animals outside dwellings and prohibit property owners from permitting sales of animals in public parking lots except for adoption events hosted by registered nonprofit animal welfare organizations. The proposal adds civil penalties and the option of criminal misdemeanor charges for repeated or willful violations.
During public comment, Joyce Glass, a longtime companion‑animal advocate, spoke in support of the ordinance, citing years of public sales in local parking lots. Glass said some animals sold there were ill, had not seen a veterinarian and that buyers sometimes spent “several hundred to several thousand dollars to address the issues.” She told the board, “This is an issue that should be addressed in Mooresville.”
Assistant Chief Cappucciani of the Mooresville Police Department described enforcement as primarily focused on voluntary compliance and education but acknowledged the ordinance provides for fines and, in some cases, misdemeanor citations if voluntary measures fail. “Police department doesn't want to be in the business of giving out tickets to dog owners…We're gonna ask that person to [comply]…If it keeps happening, then we’ll issue these things,” he said.
The board approved the ordinance on its second reading and adopted it at the meeting. Commissioners West and DeWeese led the motion and second, respectively; the vote was taken by voice and recorded in the meeting minutes as passed.
The ordinance preserves the town’s existing partnership with county animal control for enforcement inside municipal limits while adding these local rules and enforcement options. Town staff said a registered nonprofit exemption would allow properly organized adoption events to continue.
