Does this law apply every time a government seizes an animal?

No. G.S. 19A-70 applies only if an animal shelter takes custody of an animal after:

  • The person is arrested for animal cruelty, abandoning an animal, animal fighting, or certain other cruelty-related crimes (see GS Ch. 14, Art. 47); or
  • The person is the defendant in a civil animal cruelty action (see GS Ch. 19A, Art. 1) brought by (1) a local government, (2) a county-approved animal cruelty investigator, (3) a local government official, or (4) an organization operating a local government shelter under contract.