Alabama At-Large Laws by County

Key Findings on Dogs-at-Large Laws in Alabama

1. Optional adoption is ineffective. Less than 30% of Alabama counties have record of adoption. In counties without the statute, many officials commented that they were unaware of its existence and that their county needed a requirement due to a large number of loose dogs. Other officials insisted that as a state law, it automatically applied. (AI search results add to the confusion by making the same false assumption.)
2. Nearly half of the counties that reported requiring and/or enforcing actually had no record of adoption, suggesting due process violations and the expenditure of resources amid a lack of authority to enforce. Commissioners would be wise to adopt (or re-adopt) to solve these issues.
3. Communication about animal control was rare. Only a few websites included information about requirements, shelters, how to report issues, or how to contact an ACO.
4. Open records? Various factors — unintentional (lack of awareness, undigitized records) and intentional (in-person policies, unposted request forms, a $20 fee to view an ordinance(!) — combined for arduous research, requiring weeks of calls and emails (hence the length of the notes below). Highlights and lowlights are summarized at Open Records Access.