For the purposes of this Article:
means the duly incorporated humane society or organization
formed for the prevention of cruelty to animals which is contracted
by the County to perform animal control services.
means: (1) on the premises of a person other than an owner
of the cat, without the consent of an occupant or owner of such premises,
or (2) on a public street, on public or private school grounds, or
in any other public place.
means any cat released to or under the custody of or control
of the Animal Control Provider.
means a device that is implanted under the skin of an animal
that contains contact information for the owner of that animal.
means any person owning, harboring, or keeping a cat; providing
care or sustenance for a cat; or having custody of a cat. "Owner"
does not include the Animal Quarantine Branch or Plant Quarantine
Branch of the Department of Agriculture.
includes corporations, estates, associations, partnerships
and trusts, and one (1) or more individual human beings.
(Ord. No. 965, February
14, 2014; Ord. No. 1093, May 26, 2021; Ord.
No. 1107, March 15, 2022)
It shall be unlawful for any person to be an owner of a cat
over three (3) months of age unless the cat is microchipped. This
Section shall not apply to cats brought into the county exclusively
for the purpose of entering them in a cat show or cat exhibition and
not allowed to be at large.
(Ord. No. 965, February
14, 2014; Ord. No. 1093, May 26, 2021)
(a)
An
owner shall have a microchip implanted in the owner's cat, and the
owner shall register the microchip number and the owner's contact
information with a microchip registration company.
(b)
When
the contact information of the owner of a cat changes, the owner shall
provide the new contact information to the applicable microchip registration
company no later than thirty (30) days after the change in contact
information occurs.
(c)
When
the owner of a cat changes:
1.
The
former owner shall inform the new owner with which microchip registration
company the cat's microchip is registered; and
2.
The
new owner shall provide the microchip registration company with the
new owner's contact information no later than thirty (30) days after
the change of ownership occurs.
(d)
Every
animal control contractor or nonprofit animal rescue organization
shall implant a microchip in all stray cats in its custody that do
not have a microchip.
(e)
All
animal control contractors or nonprofit animal rescue organizations
shall activate the microchip registration company's found pet alerts
to notify owners whose pets' microchips are registered with that company.
(f)
Veterinary
clinics, animal shelters, and other animal rescue organizations that
scan found pets for microchips shall release only the chip identification
number to the finder upon request.
(Ord. No. 965, February
14, 2014; Ord. No. 1093, May 26, 2021)
(a)
Any
person who takes into the person's possession any cat at large shall
immediately notify the Animal Control Provider and shall release the
cat to the Animal Control Provider upon request.
(b)
In
the case of any cat released to the Animal Control Provider that is
microchipped, the Animal Control Provider shall make a reasonable
attempt to notify the owner by telephone, and shall send written notice
to the owner. The cat shall be held by the Animal Control Provider
for not less than five (5) days, after which time the Animal Control
Provider may return the cat to the person who released the cat to
the Animal Control Provider, offer the cat for adoption, or euthanize
the cat, if not sooner recovered by the owner. An owner wishing to
recover the cat shall pay a daily impoundment fee of Twelve Dollars
($12.00) for each full day, or fraction thereof, that the cat is held
by the Animal Control Provider.
(c)
In
the case of any cat released to the Animal Control Provider that is
not microchipped, the Animal Control Provider shall hold the cat for
not less than forty-eight (48) hours, after which time the Animal
Control Provider may return the cat to the person who released the
cat to the Animal Control Provider, offer the cat for adoption, or
euthanize the cat, if not sooner recovered by a person claiming ownership.
If a person claiming ownership seeks to recover the cat, the person
shall pay a daily impoundment fee of Twelve Dollars ($12.00) for each
full day, or fraction thereof, that the cat is held at the Animal
Control Provider.
(d)
Any
impounded cat shall be spayed or neutered by the Animal Control Provider
prior to its adoption unless a veterinarian certifies that the cat
is too sick or injured to be spayed or neutered, or that it would
otherwise be detrimental to the health of the cat.
(Ord. No. 965, February
14, 2014; Ord. No. 1093, May 26, 2021; Ord.
No. 1107, March 15, 2022)
It is unlawful for a cat owner to allow a cat over the age of
three (3) months to be at large unless the cat has been sterilized
by a veterinarian.
(Ord. No. 965, February
14, 2014; Ord. No. 1093, May 26, 2021)
The Director of Finance shall authorize personnel of the Animal
Control Provider to issue microchips and collect contact information
from microchips. Microchips shall be issued upon payment of the microchip
fee of Twenty Dollars ($20.00). All fees collected by personnel of
the Animal Control Provider shall be deposited with the Director of
Finance on a quarterly basis. The Director of Finance shall regulate
all activities involved in such collections.
(Ord. No. 1093, May 26,
2021)
The Animal Control Provider shall not release an impounded cat
to a person claiming ownership of the cat until the owner complies
with the requirements of this Article. If an impounded cat, with or
without a microchip, has not been sterilized, the person claiming
ownership shall pay a redemption fee of Twenty-Five Dollars ($25.00)
for the first offense, Fifty Dollars ($50.00) for the second offense,
and Seventy-Five Dollars ($75.00) for the third and any subsequent
offenses. In lieu of paying the redemption fee, an owner may opt to
have the cat sterilized by the Animal Control Provider prior to reclaiming
the cat.
(Ord. No. 965, February
14, 2014; Ord. No. 1093, May 26, 2021)
An additional fee of not more than ten dollars ($10.00) will
be assessed for each impounded cat without a microchip in accordance
with Sec. 22-24.2 upon its redemption.
(Ord. No. 965, February
14, 2014; Ord. No. 1093, May 26, 2021)
It is unlawful to feed cats on any County property.
(Ord. No. 1107, March 15,
2022)
It shall be unlawful for the owner of any cat, whether the cat
is microchipped or not, to abandon the cat. For the purpose of this
section, a cat shall be deemed abandoned if it is intentionally left
on the property of someone other than the cat's owner without first
obtaining written or oral consent by the property owner to do so.
(Ord. No. 1107, March 15,
2022)
Any person violating any section or provision of this Article
shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred dollars ($100.00)
and not to exceed two hundred dollars ($200.00) for the first offense.
For the second violation, the punishment shall be by a fine of not
less than two hundred dollars ($200.00) and not to exceed three hundred
dollars ($300.00). For all violations in excess of two (2), the punishment
shall be a fine of not less than three hundred dollars ($300.00) and
not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00).
(Ord. No. 1107, March 15,
2022)
