No person shall keep or display within the compact or built-up area
of the City any reptile in such a manner as to constitute a public
nuisance. No person shall display any reptile upon any public way
or public place so as to cause an affront or alarm to any member of
the general public.
It shall be unlawful for any owner or keeper of any reptile whose
body length is greater than 12 inches to be on a public way or in
a public place so as to be visible by any member of the general public.
Any owner, keeper or other person transporting a reptile within the
compact or built-up area of the City shall do so with the reptile
enclosed in an escapeproof enclosure.
Nothing in this section is to prevent responsible businesses such
as pet stores from exhibiting and sales of reptiles to the public.
The exhibition of reptiles in a learning environment such as schools
of learning and licensed animal-related facilities is also exempt
from this chapter, provided that such reptile species are permitted
by local, state, and federal laws.
The exhibition of any reptile at any licensed event by the promoters
of such event, where the general public pays a fee or enters an enclosed
area for the purpose of viewing any reptile, shall be exempt from
this section so long as precautions are in place to protect the public
from any reptile that is capable of inflicting serious injury or illness
to the public.
Any owner, keeper or other person in control or possession of any reptile who is found to be in violation of this article shall, upon conviction, be fined in accordance with Chapter 1, Article III, General Penalty, of the City Code.
It is the intent of this Article III, Reptiles, to regulate the appearance of domesticated and nondomesticated reptiles within the compact or built-up area of the City as a result of the actions of any individual which cause an affront or alarm to the public.
Acknowledging that the appearance of large reptiles, i.e., a snake,
lizard or turtle, in a public setting, above described, is found to
be extremely frightening to members of the general public without
sufficient warning, this article is intended to establish guidelines
to ensure the public order and well being.
Any turtle that as a result of its size or species whose bite may
result in injury or loss of a body part is prohibited in a public
setting above described unless in an educational setting with safety
precautions.