Mooresville staff outline amendments to animal ordinance; adoption set for March 3

Town of Mooresville staff presented a second reading of proposed amendments to Chapter 3 of the town’s animal ordinance, and told the board that adoption is scheduled for the March 3 meeting.

The rewrite would remove a duplicate provision in section 3.2, expand the leash requirement in current section 3-4 so animals must be under “direct control or restraint” in all public places (while allowing off-leash use in designated leash-free parks), add an inspection provision for public exhibits of animals, require disposal of dog waste (new 3-6), reiterate rules for keeping animals outside dwellings under the UDA (3-7), and prohibit selling live animals in public places or commercial parking lots (3-8). Section 3-21 would make violations subject to civil or criminal penalties, including a misdemeanor option.

Sharon Crawford, speaking for the legal department, said the changes “would not change the general framework for enforcement” handled by the county but would make “some proposed improvements to the ordinance,” and noted the timeline: first reading occurred Feb. 17 and adoption is proposed March 3. Crawford also described the inspection and waste provisions the draft adds.

Commissioners asked how enforcement would work. Commissioner DeWeese raised that some residents on neighborhood platforms thought a park leash law was new and asked how the town would enforce a broader requirement. Crawford and a staff member said enforcement generally begins with a complaint or a visible violation; police officers will seek voluntary compliance first and can issue civil citations or misdemeanor charges where appropriate. A staff participant noted that because the ordinance creates a criminal enforcement option, collection of penalties historically flows through the criminal process and related case law can require monies to be remitted to the local school system rather than directly to municipal civil-penalty accounts.

Board members pressed on the term “direct control.” Several commissioners said they welcomed wording that focuses on control rather than a strict leash length, but acknowledged the term is necessarily somewhat discretionary and that most enforcement will be through voluntary compliance. Commissioners also confirmed private yards are not affected where the animal remains under direct control.

Several commissioners praised the draft’s prohibition on public sales of live animals, saying it targets informal roadside or parking-lot sellers while preserving legitimate shelters and adoption work. The board did not take a final vote at the meeting; staff asked the board to consider adoption at the March 3 meeting.