Animal Services in Lawrence County

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Impoundment Facilities or Shelters in Lawrence County

Lawrence County Animal Shelter is operated directly by Lawrence County Commission, said Anthony Wilbanks, who has directed the facility and animal control since July 2024. The shelter works with one rescue organization.

Anthony, Tommy, and a weekend staff member are the only shelter and animal control staff. Shelter data is not published; as explanation Anthony said that when he began at the shelter, there was no computer or land line. As of mid-2025, Tommy had been employed by the Commission for seven years; “they just gave him a building.”

• Stray Hold is 7 days.
• Spay/Neuter is the responsibility of the adopter. Lawrence County Animal Shelter provides vouchers for sterilization and rabies vaccination of adopted animals.
• Animal Census Reports are not published.

Commissioner Bobby Burch designed a low-cost facility that offers fresh air and protection from the elements. Lawrence County Animal Shelter offers an excellent example to the many rural, impoverished areas of Alabama in which an animal shelter may seem out of reach. For more information, see An Affordable & Effective Shelter Facility.

Animal Control in Lawrence County

Director Anthony Wilbanks leads animal control for all of Lawrence County, including the municipalities of Moulton, Courtland, Hillsboro, North Courtland, and Town Creek. For assistance, call 256-974-2514. For additional contact options, see the county website.

If your ACO is unable to help or if your area has no animal services, see this guidance.

Dog Confinement Requirements in Lawrence County

County Adoption of Alabama’s Dog Confinement Statute: Dog confinement is required in Lawrence County because the Lawrence County Commission adopted Alabama Code § 3-1-5, which requires that dogs be confined to the owner’s premises or kept in the charge of a responsible person if off-premises.

Lawrence County adopted Alabama Code § 3-1-5 in July 2024. Commissioner Amard Martin motioned in June 2024 that the county adopt the statute following a fatal attack on an 83-year-old man. No commissioner voted to second, according to a Moulton Advertiser article. A vote was scheduled for the July meeting, according to an article which inaccurately described the law as pertaining to dangerous dogs as opposed to all owned dogs. The next month, commissioners voted unanimously to adopt and hired an ACO who is also involved with shelter operations, according to an Aug. 2024 article. Lawrence County Commission Minutes document the ACO position approval and both adoption votes; no details or discussion is included.

Enforcement: Upon a report or witnessing of an at-large dog, Anthony warns on the first occasion and summons the owner if it happens again, he said in a April 2025 conversation. (Lawrence County ACOs are not APOSTC-certified, so they cannot cite, he said.) Anthony does take a picture for evidence and testifies in court. He said he had 27 cases currenty in the system, which suggests that Lawrence County is enforcing the statute more proactively than any other county — to which Anthony replied that he figured that if they have the law, it might as well be enforced.

How to Report: See How to Report an At-Large Violation.

Dog Confinement Requirements Within Corporate Limits & Police Jurisdiction: Upon adoption by the county commission, Alabama Code § 3-1-5 is also applicable in every county municipality that does not require a dog license tax — which would make the statute applicable in all Lawrence County municipalities. However, Lawrence County Commission’s unorthodox adoption excludes “the running at large of any dog or dogs within the corporate limits of any city or town located within the geographical boundaries of Lawrence County.” It is unclear how this language has been or would be interpreted in court.

Alabama municipalities have the option of requiring dog confinement within their corporate limits, regardless of county applicability of the statute. We do not know whether Moulton, Courtland, Hillsboro, North Courtland, or Town Creek requires confinement by ordinance; these small towns do not publish their ordinances on Municode. If you would like to share information, please email us.

Low-Cost Spay & Neuter in Lawrence County

See Low-Cost Spay/Neuter in Alabama or Low-Cost Spay Neuter in Madison County for low-cost sterilization resources.

Can you can provide spay/neuter information? Please email us.

Access to Information & Public Records in Lawrence County

Shelter & AC: In two conversations in 2025, Animal Control Director Anthony Wilbanks was friendly and happy to share information.

Commission: Two 2025 informal public records requests were emailed to the Commission and fulfilled promptly by County Administrator Heather Dyar Rose.

Lawrence County Documents

• Lawrence County Alabama Code § 3-1-5 Adoption: This 4-page PDF includes the ordinance and the relevant sections from three different meeting minutes.
• County Commission Public Records Request Form: I did not find a form on the county website, and no form was required by the Commission for our 2025 requests. Call the Commission or submit according to the Open Records Act template.

Sources & Contact Information

• Anthony Wilbanks, ACO and Director at Lawrence County Animal Shelter, shared information about the shelter and animal control on Apr. 29, 2025, and about the facility design on Mar. 19, 2026.
• Bobby Burch, Lawrence County Commissioner, spoke with Aubrie Kavanaugh regarding the design and budget of the open-air animal control facility some years ago, and with Kristin Yarbrough on that same topic on Mar. 19, 2026.
• Heather Dyar Rose, Lawrence County Administrator, provided documents in 2025.

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