Dangerous-Dog Hearings and Procedures: A Guide for Local Governments

This is a guide for local government officials and state employees on how to develop and administer a process for determining when a dog fits North Carolina’s legal definition of a potentially dangerous dog. State law requires local governments to adopt certain measures for making dangerous-dog determinations and requires a process for hearing owners’ appeals. The law provides few guidelines for implementing those requirements, giving local governments a lot of flexibility but little direction.

Dangerous-Dog Hearings and Procedures provides a practical discussion of how to craft a procedural scheme that meets both the local government’s needs and the state’s requirements. Written for lawyers and nonlawyers alike, it covers the key definitions, legal concepts, and practical methods involved in each stage of the legal process. It also includes the text of North Carolina’s dangerous-dog statute and example templates to help local governments design their own forms and documentation.