State guide
North Carolina
North Carolina handles most day-to-day animal control locally, often through county animal services or consolidated city-county programs such as Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control. Rabies response is strongly health-department driven: bites are reported to the local health director, and the State Laboratory of Public Health is the sole source for rabies diagnostic testing in the state.
Checked against official sources on October 4, 2026. Rules and links change; confirm with the office listed before you act.
- Who handles animal control locally
- Usually local animal control is handled by county or consolidated city-county animal services, with some municipalities relying on county services or local police after hours.
- State wildlife agency (nuisance and injured wildlife)
- North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
- Nuisance wildlife help
- Official page →
- Reporting an animal bite
- Animal bites involving animals required to be vaccinated must be reported immediately to the local health director; an attending physician must report within 24 hours.
- State rabies contact
- State Public Health Veterinarian, NCDHHS Division of Public Health
Official resources in North Carolina
State rabies landing page for families, local health departments, veterinarians, and animal control guidance.
NC Wildlife Resources Commission help page explaining what to do with injured or apparently orphaned wildlife and linking to licensed rehabilitators.
Official interactive map to find nearby licensed wildlife rehabilitators in North Carolina.
North Carolina statute on notice and confinement of biting animals and physician reporting.
Official directory residents can use to contact the local health director after a bite or rabies exposure.
Key facts for North Carolina
- A person bitten, the animal owner or keeper, and the attending physician all have reporting duties under G.S. 130A-196.
- A physician treating a bite from a potential rabies carrier must report it within 24 hours to the local health director.
- The NC State Laboratory of Public Health is the sole source for diagnostic rabies testing in North Carolina.
- NC law requires owned dogs, cats, and ferrets to be vaccinated for rabies by 4 months old.
- NC Wildlife says some wildlife species cannot legally be rehabilitated in North Carolina.
- NC Wildlife Helpline can direct residents to a licensed wildlife rehabilitator in their area.
Local animal control offices in North Carolina
| Office | city | phone | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control Mecklenburg | Charlotte | Not published* | Provides animal care, control, shelter, clinic, licensing, and field services for Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. |
| Wake County Animal Center Wake | Raleigh | Not published* | County shelter for Wake County animals; Raleigh and other Wake municipalities take impounded pets there. |
| Guilford County Animal Control Guilford | Greensboro | 336-641-5990 | Enforces animal laws and handles stray and injured animals in rural Guilford County, Greensboro, and Jamestown. |
| Guilford County Animal Services Guilford | Greensboro | Not published* | County animal services page covering shelter, adoptions, foster, lost pets, and animal control resources. |
| Cumberland County Animal Services Cumberland | Fayetteville | Not published* | County department that enforces state and local domestic-animal laws and provides shelter services. |
| Raleigh Police Animal Control Wake | Raleigh | 919-831-6311 | City animal control officers impound pets and work with the Wake County Animal Center; healthy wild animals may be released. |
| Town of Cary Animal Services Wake | Cary | Not published* | Town animal services handles reports and takes stray animals to the Wake County Animal Center. |
* Not published: the official page doesn't list it. Call the office to confirm before you rely on it.
What to do next
- After any possible rabies exposure, wash the wound with soap and water for 15 minutes and contact your local health department right away.
- If the animal is domestic and can be identified, report the bite promptly so the local health director can order the required confinement.
- If you find young wildlife alone, do not assume it is orphaned; check NC Wildlife guidance before touching or moving it.
Not seeing your office or county?
Not every office publishes its rules online. Try these, in order:
- General Start with the statewide information above.
- Closest verified Nearest places where we have verified local data outside this state (distance from North Carolina's population center, for comparison only):
- Horry County Animal Care Center, South Carolina · about 123 miles
- Richland County Animal Services, South Carolina · about 125 miles
- Lexington County Animal Services, South Carolina · about 139 miles
- Call to confirm Ask the official office.Rabies in North Carolina
Website →Phone: (919) 707-5000 (as listed on that page, checked Oct 4, 2026)Your city or county office: Local governments →Not sure who handles it locally? USAGov's free help line, 1-844-872-4681, or the North Carolina page on USA.gov can point you to the right office. - Know the current info? Tell us with a link to the official page.