Animal Control & Pounds by County

Every Alabama county and every city with a population of 5,000 or more must provide animal services, as mandated by Alabama Code § 3-7A-7 and detailed at Animal Shelter Requirements in Alabama. All pounds and shelters must issue an Animal Census Report monthly on intakes, outcomes, and operational costs.

The counties that fulfill the impoundment facility requirement are shown in blue below. Alabama counties that lack animal services are indicated in gray, green, or stripes.

The statute also requires that “Every municipality with a population over 5,000 in which the county pound is not located shall maintain a suitable pound or contribute their pro rata share to the staffing and upkeep of the county pound.” Municipal fulfillment is not reflected on the map, but is addressed to varying degrees on county animal services pages, which can be accessed by clicking county names in the table under the map.

There is significant variation in the size, scope, and structuring of impoundment facilities and animal control from county to county — variation which is not reflected on the map. For example, Franklin County is credited as having both a pound and animal control, but actually has only two ACOs who are also the only staff members of the small pound. Adoption is not offered. Animals who are not reclaimed or rescued during the stray hold are driven to Marion County to be killed. County residents report that both manpower and facilities are insufficient and loose animals are only rarely impounded — a situation that led to two dog attack deaths in 2022.

Click each county name for details.

The map addresses only county compliance. Municipalities with over 5,000 population are also required to have their own pound or contribute to the county facility.

Click each county name for details. B = The County has no shelter; impounded animals are boarded (hence the ‘B’) at a contracted veterinary facility. ½ = Marion and Winston counties share a single shelter. (Population and square mileage data is from Wikipedia.)

Research and notes are by Aubrie Kavanaugh and Kristin Yarbrough. If you would like to share an update or have any questions, additions, or corrections, please be in touch.

Updates and expansions are continual. The map above is updated whenever a county establishes an impoundment facility or animal control, or (unfortunately) discontinues animal services.