A.
All dogs and cats in Calvert County five months of age or older shall
be licensed. Dog and cat licenses may be issued simultaneously with
the required rabies vaccination at the age of four months.
B.
Within 30 days after any dog or cat over the age of five months is
adopted, acquired or brought into the County, its owner shall obtain
a license.
C.
All dogs and cats kept within the boundaries of the County for less
than 30 days are exempt from licensing; however, while kept within
the County, all dogs and cats shall meet all other requirements of
this chapter.
D.
Dogs and cats kept at the sheltering facility, animal rescue organizations
and humane society organizations are exempt from licensing until they
are adopted.
A.
The application for a license shall include:
(1)
The certification of rabies inoculation;
(2)
Proof of spaying or neutering, if applicable;
(3)
The owner's certification that the animal has not been deemed
dangerous in any jurisdiction or state; and
(4)
If applicable, the owner's certification that the animal has
been professionally trained to aid the blind or visually handicapped
or deaf or hearing impaired, or mobility impaired and is actually
in use for such purpose.
C.
If the license fee is collected by an agency approved by the Board
of County Commissioners to dispense licenses, $2 of each license fee
shall be retained by the agency. No other fee is to be collected or
charged.
D.
License fees are not prorated or refundable.
E.
The Board of County Commissioners shall designate and publish the
agencies and locations where licenses can be purchased.
A.
Animals owned by a governmental agency or law enforcement unit are
exempt from paying the licensing fee.
B.
Animals professionally trained and currently assisting individuals as specified in § 7-4-102A(4) and in Article 24, § 11-502 of the Annotated Code of Maryland, as amended from time to time, are exempt from paying the licensing fee.
A.
License certificates shall include:
(1)
The date of issuance and expiration date;
(2)
The owner's name, address, home and work telephone numbers;
(3)
The animal's sex, species, breed, age, color, whether neutered
or spayed and the microchip number if applicable; and
(4)
The expiration date of the rabies vaccination, tag number and
the issuing veterinarian's name, trade name, telephone number and
license number.
B.
An owner shall make the license certificate available upon request
by an Animal Control Officer, law enforcement officer, health officer,
public safety officer, or their agents.
C.
Licenses issued shall include a metal tag that must be securely fastened
to the animal's collar or harness and worn by the animal when off
the real property of the owner, except that animals engaged in qualified
activity where a collar or harness would endanger the animal's safety,
are exempt from wearing the tag during the qualified activity.
D.
A duplicate metal license tag to replace a lost tag shall be issued
to the animal's owner upon presentation of the license and payment
of a fee, determined by the Board of Calvert County Commissioners,
and as may be modified from time to time. At the time of the adoption
of these regulations, the replacement tag fee shall be $1.
It shall be unlawful for a person to:
A.
Transfer registration tags from one animal to another.
B.
Affix a registration tag to an animal other than the animal for which
the tag was originally issued.
C.
Affix a registration tag to an animal that has not been vaccinated
against rabies.
D.
Counterfeit, alter, obliterate, or attempt to counterfeit, alter,
or obliterate any rabies tag or license tag.
A.
A violation of §§ 7-4-101, 7-4-102, and 7-4-104 are Class A violations, except that the fine for a citation issued to a person for failing to obtain a license shall be waived if:
(1)
The person issued the citation has not had any other violation
in the past 12 months.
(2)
At the time of the violation, the person issued the citation
is not receiving any other citations for violations of these regulations.
(3)
A license is purchased and presented to the Animal Control Division
within 14 business days of the date the citation was issued.
