North Dakota dog laws: leash, licensing, bites and breed rules

This is a general summary of North Dakota state law about dogs. It is information, not legal advice. Reviewed November 2026.

Leashes and licensing

North Dakota has no statewide leash law. Instead, state law hands the job to local government. Cities may license dogs and regulate how dogs are kept, including what happens to a dog that is destroyed or disposed of for public safety. Counties may regulate the confinement and control of dogs and other household pets, as long as their rules do not conflict with state animal-health rules. In practice, whether your dog must be leashed, licensed, or limited in number depends on the town or county where you live.

State law does speak to dogs and livestock. A person who sees a dog killing, chasing, worrying or damaging livestock or poultry may kill it without being sued by the owner, and the owner of a dog that kills, wounds or chases another person's sheep, domestic animals or poultry is liable for the damage.

Rabies vaccination

The state rabies chapter focuses on exposure to people. It lets the health department seize and quarantine, or confine and observe, a dog that has bitten someone, and it can seize and euthanize a biting dog that shows signs of rabies diagnosed by a veterinarian. The chapter does not set a vaccination age or a fixed number of quarantine days. Vaccination rules and licence requirements are usually found in city and county codes, and a veterinarian can tell you the current schedule.

Dangerous dogs and bites

North Dakota has no statewide dangerous-dog or vicious-dog statute with registration, insurance or confinement duties. The nearest state rule is the public-nuisance chapter: if a dog habitually molests people travelling on a public road or street, a judge can, after notice to the owner and a hearing, declare it a nuisance and order a peace officer to kill it.

For bites, there is no dog-bite statute covering injuries to people. The courts apply a common-law rule that combines the owner's knowledge of a vicious tendency with negligence in preventing the harm. That is different from a strict-liability state, where the owner is responsible regardless of prior knowledge.

Breed-specific rules

The state statutes reviewed contain no breed-specific rule, and the state laws that let cities and counties regulate dogs do not mention breed. Any breed rule you meet is likely to be a local one.

Tethering and hot cars

North Dakota has no statewide law aimed at tethering or chaining dogs. Hot vehicles are covered, though: an individual may not leave an animal unattended in a motor vehicle without making sure its health and safety is not endangered. A violation is an infraction, and a law enforcement officer may use reasonable means to enter the vehicle and remove the animal.

Animal cruelty can reach felony level. Intentionally breaking an animal's bones, mutilating it, causing prolonged impairment of its health or physically torturing it is a class C felony. Abuse is a class A misdemeanor for a first or second offence and a class C felony for a third within ten years.

Where to check your local rule

Cities and counties often have stricter leash, licence, number-of-dogs and breed rules than the state. Check your city or county animal control website or ordinance code before you move or adopt. If your dog has bitten someone or has been reported, talk to a lawyer or the animal-control office.