Nassau County Animal Control Phone Number and Hours

For animal control in Nassau County, Florida, the phone number is 904-530-6150, which reaches Nassau County Animal Services in Fernandina Beach. Nassau County, New York does not have one countywide line — each town and city runs its own shelter, so the right number depends on where you live. The two most-called are 516-785-5220 for the Town of Hempstead and 516-869-6311 for North Hempstead.

Nassau County, Florida Contact and Hours

Nassau County Animal Services handles domestic animal calls for unincorporated Nassau County and the surrounding area. The shelter sits at 86078 License Road in Fernandina Beach, next to the DMV.

Phone: 904-530-6150
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Wednesday: 1:00 PM – 6:00 PM
Monday: closed to the public

The Monday closure catches a lot of people off guard. Wednesday runs later than the other days but starts later too, which helps if you can’t get there before 4:00 PM. Field officers respond to calls about roaming livestock, loose dogs, and abandoned animals during shelter hours.¹

Nassau County, New York Numbers by Town and City

There is no single county number in Nassau County, NY. Animal control runs through each municipality, and in two cities it runs through the police department. The direct lines:

Town of Hempstead Animal Shelter: 516-785-5220 (after hours: Department of Public Safety, 516-538-1900)²
Town of North Hempstead Animal Shelter: 516-869-6311³
Town of Oyster Bay Animal Shelter: 516-677-5784⁴
City of Glen Cove: 516-676-1000 (Glen Cove Police Department)⁵
City of Long Beach: 516-431-1800 (police, for emergencies) or 516-431-7674 (animal shelter, for non-emergencies)⁶

Because Glen Cove and Long Beach route calls through their police departments, expect a police dispatcher rather than a shelter attendant.

For animal cruelty specifically, the Nassau County SPCA runs a 24-hour abuse hotline at 516-843-7722, and it covers the whole county regardless of town.⁷

After-Hours and Emergencies

Shelter lines usually roll to voicemail once the doors close. What to do next depends on the situation:

An aggressive or dangerous animal threatening people: call 911. This is a human safety emergency.
A stray or injured animal that isn’t an immediate danger: call the local police non-emergency line. In the Town of Hempstead, that’s Public Safety at 516-538-1900. In Long Beach, the police line at 516-431-1800 covers after-hours animal calls.²⁶
Your own pet needs emergency medical care: animal control does not provide veterinary treatment. Call a 24-hour emergency vet.

Dispatchers put public safety threats ahead of nuisance calls like barking or a cat in the yard. If a situation isn’t dangerous, you may be told to call the shelter in the morning. That’s normal.

What to Have Ready When You Call

How fast a call gets a response depends mostly on what you can tell the dispatcher. Have these details ready:

Exact location. Street address or nearest intersection. “Somewhere near the park” forces the officer to search blind.
Animal description. Species, breed if you can tell, color, size, and any visible collar or tags.
Behavior. Limping, aggressive, foaming at the mouth, or wandering calmly? This is what decides whether the call gets an immediate response or goes in the queue.
Owner information, if you have it. Some situations resolve faster with a phone call to the owner than an officer visit.

Behavior matters more than most people realize. “Dog running loose” reads very differently to a dispatcher than “dog lunging at people near a school.” Be specific about what the animal is doing.

What Animal Control Handles and What It Doesn’t

Animal control covers domestic animals and public-safety situations: stray dogs and cats, cruelty investigations, bite reports, loose livestock, dead animals on public roads, and noise complaints tied to animals. In Nassau County, NY, cruelty investigations run through the SPCA’s 24-hour hotline.⁷

Wildlife on private property generally isn’t animal control’s job. Raccoons in the attic, squirrels in the crawl space, or bats in the garage usually mean calling a licensed private wildlife operator at your own cost. Animal control steps in for wildlife mainly when the animal is on public property or poses an immediate threat to people. Insects and rodents (bees, wasps, mice, rats) are pest control territory. If you’re not sure, call the shelter and ask; they’ll tell you quickly whether it’s their department.

Reporting a Lost or Found Pet

In Nassau County, Florida, call the shelter at 904-530-6150 to check whether your animal has been brought in. Stray animals that aren’t reclaimed within five business days become eligible for adoption, so the clock matters. You’ll need proof of ownership to reclaim your pet.⁸

In Nassau County, New York, the process varies by town. The Town of Hempstead takes lost and found reports by phone at 516-785-5220, through an online form, or in person at the shelter at 3320 Beltagh Avenue in Wantagh. Admitting hours are 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, seven days a week. The shelter keeps reports on file for 30 days, and by law, unclaimed strays can be adopted out after five days.⁹

File your report the same day your pet goes missing, and bring a photo when you visit shelters in person. Check back every few days; new animals arrive constantly and a match may not happen on the first trip.

Bite Incidents

Bites are one of the highest-priority calls animal control handles, and they carry mandatory reporting in both Florida and New York. When a dog or cat bites someone, the incident has to be reported to the local health department, and the biting animal is typically subject to a ten-day quarantine so a veterinarian can watch for signs of rabies. If the animal is healthy at the end of the ten days, rabies transmission can be ruled out.

Quarantine may take place at the owner’s home, at a veterinary facility, or at the shelter, depending on local rules and the circumstances. If an animal can’t be located or the owner refuses to cooperate, animal control officers have authority to seize it. Under New York law, officers can seize any unlicensed dog (whether on or off the owner’s property) and any dog that poses an immediate threat to public safety.¹⁰

1
Nassau County. Animal Control
2
Hempstead Town, NY. Animal Shelter
3
Town of North Hempstead. Animal Shelter
4
Town of Oyster Bay. Animal Shelter
5
City of Glen Cove, NY. Chapter 87 – Animals
6
Long Beach, NY. Animal Control
7
Nassau County SPCA. Nassau County SPCA – Non-Profit Animal Rescue
8
Nassau County. Lost Pets
9
Hempstead Town, NY. Lost and Found
10
New York State Senate. Agriculture and Markets Law 117 – Seizure of Dogs; Redemption Periods; Impoundment Fees; Adoption