The animal control officer, health authority, or any police
officer of the city shall have the authority to enforce any animal
regulations of the city and to impound and dispose of any animals
found in violation of any animal regulation.
(2001 Code, art. 2.100; Ordinance 2010.11.2, sec. 1, adopted 11/9/10)
It shall be unlawful to harbor, keep, or maintain any wild or
exotic animals or poisonous reptiles within the city limits such as
bats, skunks, coyotes, foxes, wolves, alligators, lions, tigers, leopards,
monkeys, Gila monsters, rattlesnakes, cobra snakes, etc. The city,
however, may grant exceptions from time to time, such as for special
events like circuses, menageries, animal auctions, etc.
(2001 Code, art. 2.700)
The slaughtering of animals in public view within the city is
hereby prohibited. Any slaughtering of animals shall be limited to
private property within an enclosed area that is not in view of the
public. Slaughtering an animal in public view in violation of the
terms of this section shall be an offense and shall constitute a misdemeanor.
(2001 Code, art. 2.1100)
(a) No
person shall appear with a pet upon the public ways or within public
places or upon the property of another, absent that person’s
consent, without some means for the removal of excrement; nor shall
any person fail to remove any excrement deposited by such pet. This
section shall not apply to a blind person while walking his or her
guide dog.
(b) The penalty as stated in city code section
1.01.009 shall be enforced.
(Ordinance 425-2, secs. 1, 2, adopted 10/9/07)
(a) A
person commits an offense if he knowingly owns an animal, livestock,
swine or fowl that unreasonably barks, howls, bellows, grunts, crows,
or makes other unreasonable noise near a private residence. Noise
made by an animal is unreasonable under this subsection if the noise:
(1) Continues for more than 15 consecutive minutes; or
(2) Exceeds the sound decibel level allowed in the district under the city’s noise regulations in article
8.03.
(b) A person who is disturbed by an animal that unreasonably barks, howls, bellows, grunts, crows, or makes any other unreasonable noise as defined in subsection
(a) near a private residence may file a written disturbance complaint with the city animal enforcement officer or with a city police officer. A disturbance complaint shall include the name and address of the complainant, the address of the unreasonable disturbance, the type of animal, livestock, swine or fowl causing the disturbance, the times, including the length of time, that the animal, livestock, swine or fowl caused the disturbance, and the name and address of the owner, as defined in section
2.02.001, of the animal, livestock, swine or fowl causing the disturbance, if known to the complainant.
(c) The
animal enforcement officer or police officer taking the complaint
shall mail, by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the owner
a notice that a disturbance complaint has been received, including
the name and address of the complainant, the address of the unreasonable
disturbance, the type of animal, livestock, swine or fowl causing
the disturbance, the times, including the length of time, that the
animal, livestock, swine or fowl caused the disturbance. Such notice,
if of a first disturbance complaint, shall constitute a warning.
(d) A person knowingly commits an offense under this section if, after receiving notice of the receipt of a disturbance complaint by the city, continues to allow the animal, livestock, swine or fowl to cause the disturbance, or shall have refused, for a period of 24 hours, to correct such disturbance and prevent its recurrence. And the person who is disturbed by said unreasonable noise, upon the filing of a disturbance complaint, in writing, in the same manner set forth in subsection
(b), the animal enforcement officer or the police officer receiving the complaint, shall issue a citation to the owner for the violation of this section.
(e) Any
person who has not previously been convicted of an offense under this
section and violates any portion of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor
and shall, on conviction, be subject to a fine of not less than $35.00
nor more that $1,000.00. For the second or subsequent conviction within
a twelve-month period, said person shall be fined not less than $70.00
nor more than $2,000.00.
(Ordinance 2010.11.2, sec. 2, adopted 11/9/10)
(a) Prohibited.
It shall be unlawful for any person raising,
owning and/or keeping any animal to willfully suffer or permit any
such creature to run at large upon the public streets, avenues, alleys,
parks or other public property of the city, or to willfully suffer
or permit any animal to run at large or to go upon the premises owned
or in the possession of or under the control of any other person in
the city.
(b) Penalty.
Any person violating this section shall be
fined an amount not to exceed $500.00, and each day shall constitute
a separate violation. For a first offense, a warning shall be issued.
(Ordinance 2011.5.3 adopted 5/10/11)