[Adopted 9-21-1970 by Ord. No. 430]
This article shall be known as the "Domestic
Animal Ordinance."
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
All individual species of the bovine (bovidae), equine (equidae),
swine (suidae), ovine (ovidae) and caprine (capridae) families.[1]
The Township Health Officer.
Any person, firm or corporation owning or actually keeping,
having, using or maintaining any of the animals herein referred to.
The permit issued by the Township Secretary upon approval
of the Township Health Officer.
Includes any individual, firm or corporation.
A state of being constructed so as to effectively prevent
entry of rats.
Any condition of good order and cleanliness which precludes
the probability of disease transmission.
It shall be unlawful for any person to keep,
own, maintain, use or have in their possession any animals, as defined
in this article, within the limits of the Township of Tinicum; except
that such animals may be kept under the conditions hereinafter set
forth, provided a permit be first obtained as hereinafter provided.
Permits, as hereinafter referred to, and required
to be had as a prerequisite to the keeping, owning, maintaining, using
or having in their possession any animals, as defined in this article,
may be obtained from the Township Secretary after an application for
such permit has been filed with and approved by the Health Officer.
The Health Officer shall approve such application only after determining
that the applicant for such permit complies with the requirement for
the keeping of such animals as set forth herein.
There shall be two classifications of permits
that may be issued under the provisions of this article, as follows:
A.
Permit for the keeping of small animals, the fee for
which shall be $1 per year or any fraction thereof, and all permits
shall expire the 31st day of December each year.
B.
Permit for the keeping of large animals, the fee for
which shall be $2 per year or any fraction thereof, and all permits
shall expire the 31st day of December of each year.
No permit shall be issued or be valid if issued
for the permitting or keeping within the Township of Tinicum a combined
total of more than two large animals and/or 12 small animals.
A.
Permits for the keeping of large animals shall be
issued only to those applicants who provide facilities for the keeping
of such large animals in quarters set out herein, which will confine
said large animals within limits not closer than 100 feet to the exterior
limits of any dwelling resided in by anyone other than the applicant
unless such other building is owned by the applicant.
B.
Permits for the keeping of small animals shall be
issued only to those applicants who provide facilities for the keeping
of such small animals in quarters set out herein, which will confine
said small animals within limits not closer than 25 feet to the exterior
limits of any dwelling resided in by anyone other than the applicant.
Upon the obtaining of such permit from the Township
Secretary, as provided in the preceding section, every keeper shall
observe the following practices:
A.
Every keeper of any of said animals shall confine
the same in an enclosure sufficient to prevent their running at large,
and such enclosure shall be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition
at all times, and an approved insecticide shall be used as often as
deemed necessary by the Health Officer.
B.
Every keeper shall provide a shelter or area of a
size sufficient to be conducive to good sanitation practices and he
shall provide adequate and sanitary drainage for the shelter or area.
C.
Every keeper of any said animals shall cause the litter
and droppings therefrom to be collected daily in a container or receptacle
of such a type that when closed it is ratproof and flytight, and after
each such collection shall cause such container or receptacle to be
kept closed. At least twice a week each such keeper shall cause all
litter and droppings so collected to be disposed of in such a way
as not to permit the presence of fly larvae.
D.
Every keeper of any said animals shall cause all feed
provided therefor to be stored and kept in a ratproof, flytight building,
box, container, or receptacle.
E.
The failure of any keeper of any of said animals to
comply with the provisions of this article or the sanitation standards
and requirements established by the Health Officer shall be cause
for the Health Officer to refuse to grant a permit for the keeping
of such animals; or, if the permit shall have been previously granted
to such keeper, shall be cause for the revocation of the same. The
decision of the Health Officer shall be subject to review by the Health
Officer if the applicant feels nongranting of permit or revocation
of permit to be unjustified.
F.
The premises shall be subject to inspection by the
Health Officer or any of his representatives at any reasonable hour
of the day.
[Amended 3-19-2001 by Ord. No. 742]
A.
Permits shall not be issued for the keeping of pigeons,
game cocks, fighting cocks or swine, and it shall be illegal to keep
pigeons, game cocks, fighting cocks or swine within the Township limits
of the Township of Tinicum.
B.
No person shall keep, house or harbor any pigeons,
game cocks, fighting cocks or swine, within the Township limits of
the Township of Tinicum.
Dogs licensed as required by other ordinances
are exempt from the permit and permit fee as required by this article,
but where more than two dogs are kept, all other provisions of this
article applicable to small animals shall be complied with.
It shall be the duty of the holder of any permit
provided for in this article to maintain and operate the housing and
keeping of such animals in such a manner as not to create a nuisance
as determined by any court of competent jurisdiction.
Medical laboratories, educational institutions,
veterinary hospitals, pet shops or other similar activities shall
keep and maintain animals under the same conditions prescribed by
this article and with the distance and structural requirements herein
set forth.
This article shall be cumulative of all other
sanitary ordinances or regulations of the Township of Tinicum, unless
in conflict with the terms of said ordinances and regulations, in
which case, the terms of this article shall prevail.
Any person who shall be convicted of a violation
of any of the provisions of this article before any Magisterial District
Judge shall pay a fine of not less than $10 nor more than $600, plus
costs of prosecution, and, in default of payment of such fine and
costs, imprisonment in the county jail for a period not exceeding
30 days, for each and every offense; and a new and separate offense
shall be deemed to have been committed for each day any such violation
or violations shall be committed or persisted in.
