(a)
License required.
(1)
It shall be unlawful for any person to own, keep, harbor or possess
any dog or cat over four (4) months of age within the city without
first obtaining a valid license for said animal as provided in this
article. Upon payment of the applicable license fee, the license is
valid for one (1) year from the date of the most recent rabies vaccination.
(2)
It is a defense to prosecution under subsection (a)(1) of this section for an animal establishment or a releasing agency located within the city to own, keep, harbor or possess a dog or cat over four (4) months of age without first obtaining a valid license for said animal if the animal establishment or releasing agency is offering said animal for sale or adoption and said animal is being kept under restraint on the premises of the animal establishment or releasing agency.
(b)
Application requirements.
Application for license and
payment of the applicable license fee shall be paid to the city or
to a designated veterinarian. The application shall include the name
and address of the applicant, a description of the animal and a current
rabies certificate issued by a veterinarian licensed to practice in
the jurisdiction in which the animal was vaccinated.
(c)
Payment of fee.
Payment of an annual license fee for
each dog or cat owned is required in an amount established by the
city council. Payment will be required:
(d)
Permanent registration.
Compliance with annual license
requirements for each dog or cat may be met by an owner of an animal
who obtains a permanent city registration tag for an animal at the
rabies prevention section at a cost established by the city council,
provided:
(1)
The owner documents the dog or cat has been spayed/neutered; and
(2)
The owner provides annual timely verification to the city that the
dog or cat continues to receive the rabies vaccination annually. An
owner’s failure to timely comply with the annual rabies vaccination
will require that the animal be registered, either by obtaining a
new annual license or permanent registration tag upon payment for
same.
(e)
Exemption from fee.
No fee shall be charged for a license
issued for any dog which is utilized as a guide dog and not as a pet
by a blind or deaf person.
(f)
Time of application.
Application for a license must
be made within thirty (30) days after obtaining a dog or cat over
four (4) months of age, except that this requirement will not apply
to a nonresident individual keeping a dog or cat for less than sixty
(60) days.
(g)
Issuance of tag.
Upon acceptance of the dog or cat license
application, a license tag having an identifying number and the year
of issuance shall be issued by the city or a designated veterinarian.
Tags shall be designed so that they may be conveniently fastened or
riveted to the animal’s collar.
(h)
Wearing of tag.
It shall be unlawful for the owner of
a dog or cat to fail to have a dog or cat wear its license tag at
all times affixed in a conspicuous place on its collar.
(i)
Use of tag for other animal.
It shall be unlawful for
an owner of a dog or cat at any time to have a license tag affixed
on the collar of a dog or cat which is not the animal for which the
tag was issued.
(j)
Records.
The rabies prevention officer shall maintain
a current record of serial numbers of licenses and license tags issued.
(k)
Fee schedule.
A schedule of the current fees established
by the city council is available for review at the city municipal
building.
(l)
Exemption for animals used in research program.
It shall
be a defense that an owner of a dog or cat over four (4) months of
age does not obtain a license for the dog or cat if said animal is
currently being used in a research program at the owner’s institution
of higher education which is accredited by the American Association
for Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care.
(Ordinance adopting 1993 Code; 1993
Code, sec. 2.401; Ordinance 618-10, sec. 2(5), adopted 6/21/10)
(a)
The
rabies prevention officer may revoke any license issued for a dog
or cat pursuant to this article under the following circumstances:
(1)
A person has withheld, falsified, or provided incorrect information
on the license application.
(2)
A person has been convicted within the preceding sixty (60) months
of cruelty to any animal under any animal cruelty law of this state
or other jurisdiction in the United States.
(3)
A person’s payment for the license in draft form has been dishonored.
(b)
Written
notification of revocation shall be accomplished by depositing a certified
letter, return receipt requested, in the United States mail and addressed
to the last known address of the licensee.
(c)
Any person whose license for a dog or cat is revoked may, within fifteen (15) days from the date the letter under subsection (b) of this section was deposited in the mail, make a showing of compliance or correction to the rabies prevention officer and have the license reinstated. If a person fails to provide satisfactory proof of compliance or correction to the rabies prevention officer within the fifteen (15) days as provided in this subsection, the owner must humanely divest himself of herself of the animal for which the license was revoked.
(d)
A license revoked pursuant to subsection (a)(1) or subsection (a)(2) above may be reinstated upon a correct application being made by the owner in compliance with section 2.03.001. No person whose license has been revoked under subsection (a)(2) may reapply for a period of sixty (60) months from the date of his or her cruelty to animals or animal cruelty law conviction.
(e)
Where
a license has been revoked, no fees shall be refunded.
(Ordinance adopting 1993 Code; 1993
Code, sec. 2.402)
A designated veterinarian shall be responsible for the proper
handling of all registration tags issued to him or her by the rabies
prevention officer.
(Ordinance adopting 1993 Code; 1993
Code, sec. 2.403)
For each annual registration fee collected, a designated veterinarian
may keep one dollar ($1.00) of the current license fee as a service
charge. In no case may a designated veterinarian charge an owner of
an animal more or less than the current annual license fee. The designated
veterinarian assumes all responsibility for ensuring that full payment
is made to the city for each license registration made.
(Ordinance adopting 1993 Code; 1993
Code, sec. 2.404)
The rabies prevention officer shall provide the veterinarian(s)
with necessary monthly report forms and tags for registration. The
rabies prevention officer shall establish a collection procedure for
the fees and a format for the tags, and shall record the number of
dogs and cats registered, name of owner, and other appropriate information.
The rabies prevention officer also reserves the right to inspect at
reasonable times the license records and tags on hand at the designated
veterinarian’s office.
(Ordinance adopting 1993 Code; 1993
Code, sec. 2.405)
