It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to
own, have, keep maintain, feed, house, stable or permit to be kept,
maintained, fed, housed or stabled any dog or cat, over four (4) months
of age, within the city limits unless such animal is licensed by the
city’s animal control authority.
(1) The following
shall apply to the licensing of dogs and cats within the city limits:
a. All dogs
and cats over four (4) months of age must be licensed.
b. Licenses
issued shall be of durable material and must be attached to the collar
of the animal and must be worn at all times.
c. All city
animal licenses are valid for one (1) year and shall expire on the
same date as the animals’ rabies vaccination.
d. City
animal licenses are not transferrable.
(2) The city
shall offer two (2) licenses for dogs and cats:
a. Unaltered
pet license.
If said animal has not been spayed or neutered,
this license must be renewed annually. This license can be obtained:
(1) from a state licensed veterinarian, doing business within the
city, upon the animal being vaccinated for rabies; or (2) by providing
proof of rabies vaccination to the city’s animal shelter director.
All fees associated with this license must be paid annually at time
of renewal.
b. Altered
pet license.
If said animal has been spayed or neutered,
this license must be renewed annually. This license can be obtained:
(1) from a state licensed veterinarian, doing business within the
city, upon the animal being vaccinated for rabies; or (2) by providing
proof of rabies vaccination to the city’s animal shelter director.
All fees associated with this license shall be paid upon the initial
issuance of the license; renewals of this license will be free of
charge.
(Ordinance O-19-008, sec. 3, adopted 2/21/19)
The following are exempt from the licensing provisions of this
article:
(1) Licensed
animal research facilities or shelters;
(2) An animal
residing in the city for no longer than fourteen (14) days. New residents
must apply for a license within thirty (30) days of establishing residency
in the city;
(4) An animal
being housed in the city temporarily following a severe weather event
or man-made disaster occurring at the animal’s permanent home.
This exception is in effect for up to six (6) months, at which time
the animal becomes a permanent resident of the city and is subject
to the licensing provisions of this chapter; or
(5) Any registered
service animal or animal kept, maintained, fed, housed or stabled
by any state or federal law enforcement agency.
(Ordinance O-19-008, sec. 3, adopted 2/21/19)
(a) Limits.
(1) It
shall be unlawful for any person to own, have, keep, maintain, feed,
or house more than four (4) dogs and cats, or any combination thereof,
over the age of four (4) months old.
(2) It
shall be unlawful for any person to own, have, keep, maintain, feed,
or house more than fifteen (15) dogs and cats, or any combination
thereof, under the age of four (4) months old.
(b) Permit.
In addition to meeting all other requirements of this chapter, a person who wants to own, have, keep, maintain, feed, or house more dogs and cats than is lawful under subsection
(a) must apply for and be granted a multiple-animal permit from the city’s animal control authority as set forth herein.
(1) Multi-animal
permit application.
The application for a multiple-animal
permit must be made on a form prescribed by the city and shall include,
but not be limited to, the following information:
a. The
name, telephone number, and physical address of the applicant;
b. The
total number of animals sought to be included under the permit and
the species, breed, gender, and age of each animal;
c. The
current city license number for each animal listed in the application;
d. A
statement affirming that the applicant is familiar with the provisions
of this chapter and a promise to maintain all animals in accordance
with applicable legal requirements; and
e. Any
other information the city reasonably determines is necessary to issue
a multi-animal permit.
(2) Fee.
The city may require payment of a multi-animal fee when submitting
an application under this section.
(3) Consideration
of multi-animal permit application.
A multi-animal permit
shall be granted upon meeting the following criteria:
a. Submittal
of a complete and accurate application, including payment of any fees,
and submittal of any required documentation;
b. Applicant
has not been convicted of one (1) or more violations of this chapter
or of any law relating to the care and humane treatment of animals
nor has failed to appear in court in response to such a charge within
the past twelve (12) months from date of application;
c. Applicant
has not had a multi-animal permit under this section previously revoked
within the past twelve (12) months from date of application; and
d. The
address to which the multi-animal permit relates is not the same as
one (1) for which a multi-animal permit has been revoked within the
past twelve (12) months.
(4) Revocation
of a multi-animal permit.
A multi-animal permit may be
revoked in the event one (1) or more of the following occur:
a. The
permit holder is convicted, receives deferred adjudication, or pleads
guilty or no contest with respect to one (1) or more sections of this
chapter or any law relating to the care and humane treatment of animals
or fails to appear in court to respond to such a charge; or
b. The
animal control authority determines that specific circumstances exist
indicating that it is in the best interests of the animals or for
the health and safety of the public to revoke the multi-animal permit.
(5) Revocation
process.
The process for revoking a multi-animal permit
granted under this section is as follows:
a. The
animal control authority shall send written notice by certified mail
to the current mailing address provided by the multi-animal permit
holder in its application identifying the reason for revocation; and
b. The
multi-animal permit holder shall have thirty (30) days to appeal such
determination in writing to the municipal court judge. A hearing shall
be held before the judge. If the judge determines that the multi-animal
permit holder meets the criteria for revocation the judge shall order
the revocation. The decision by the municipal court judge shall be
in writing and shall be final.
(Ordinance O-19-008, sec. 3, adopted 2/21/19)
The following requirements shall apply to guard dogs located
in the city:
(1) Posting
sign.
It shall be unlawful for any person to leave a
guard dog unattended in any place in or out of a building unless a
clearly visible warning sign is placed advising others of the presence
of a guard dog before entering the place to which the dog has access.
(2) Unattended
guard dog.
No guard dog shall be left unattended in any
place except inside a building or other structure that will not allow
the dog to exit such building on its own volition.
(3) Required
fencing.
No guard dog shall be let out of doors unless
it is in a fenced yard with a fence adequate to prevent the dog from
leaving the premises.
(Ordinance O-19-008, sec. 3, adopted 2/21/19)