For the purpose of this chapter, the following words and phrases shall mean:
Animal:
any fish, fowl, reptile or nonhuman mammal.
Animal Control Officer:
the chief of police or any officer or person designated by the chief of police to administer this chapter.
At-Large:
away from the property owned or occupied by the owner of the animal.
Kennel:
a building, enclosure or premises wherein more than four dogs and cats (in any combination) over four months of age are kept.
Leashed:
securely confined by a leash not exceeding six feet in length.
Nondomestic Animal:
an animal of a species that has not been domesticated so as to live and breed in a tame condition. "Nondomestic animal" includes wolf/dog hybrids.
Owner:
a person who legally owns an animal or who harbors an animal with the permission of the legal owner.
Vicious Animal:
an animal that has bitten or scratched a person or another animal without provocation.
Wild Bird:
a bird of the columbine family. "Wild bird" includes pigeons and doves.
(Ord. 1515; Ord. 1708, 2/12/2024)
Violation of any of the provisions of this chapter shall constitute an infraction unless prosecuted pursuant to the administrative citation procedure of this code.
(Ord. 1515)
A. 
The animal control officer shall be responsible for the administration of this chapter. In performing such duty, the animal control officer may do the following without limitation:
1. 
Require posting of a "Beware of Animal" sign at a property at which there is an animal having a disposition to attack without provocation.
2. 
Order the enclosure of an animal having a disposition to attack without provocation.
3. 
Order the quarantine of a vicious animal. In the event of such order, the owner of the animal shall not remove the animal from the premises and shall not kill the animal for the period specified by the animal control officer.
4. 
Require posting of an "Animal Quarantine" sign at a property harboring an animal for which a quarantine order has been issued.
5. 
Procure license certificates and tags.
B. 
The animal control officer may not remove an animal from the property of its owner without the written consent of such person except where circumstances (including without limitation injury, distress or danger to life or limb) require removal.
(Ord. 1515)
The city or the animal control officer shall provide a building or enclosure to hold impounded animals. The animal control officer shall collect fees for holding impounded animals and miscellaneous animal shelter services. The fee amounts shall be set by city council resolution.
(Ord. 1515)
A. 
In addition to complying with any restrictions set forth in the city's zoning regulations, no person shall keep any animals except a maximum of:
1. 
Four weaned cats and dogs in any combination.
2. 
Six parakeets, parrots, canaries, or similar domestic birds.
3. 
Six reptiles (e.g. turtles, lizards, or snakes, etc.).
B. 
Reptiles maintained outside shall be kept in a fully enclosed structure located a minimum distance of 10 feet from any lot line, 50 feet from any dwelling units, and 100 feet from any school, park, religious establishment, hospital, or similar institution.
(Ord. 1515; Ord. 1551)
A. 
No person shall keep a nondomestic animal without first obtaining from the animal control officer, and maintaining in full force and effect, a nondomestic animal permit for such animal. The fee for a nondomestic animal permit shall be set by city council resolution.
B. 
The animal control officer may approve, conditionally approve or deny a request for a nondomestic animal permit. A nondomestic animal permit may be denied for any of the following reasons:
1. 
Adequate provision has not been made for the restraint, care and feeding of the animal.
2. 
Keeping the animal is not necessary for educational or research purposes.
3. 
Keeping the animal will be detrimental to the public health, safety or welfare.
C. 
The animal control officer may revoke a nondomestic animal permit if the permittee has violated this chapter, or if the animal poses a threat to the public health, safety or welfare. The animal control officer shall afford the permittee a hearing prior to revoking a nondomestic animal permit. Reasonable advance written notice of the time and place of such hearing, as well as a brief statement of the grounds on which the proposed revocation is based, shall be given to the permittee.
(Ord. 1515; Ord. 1551)
A. 
No person shall keep a cat or dog for breeding purposes without first obtaining a cat or dog breed permit from the animal control officer. The fee for cat and dog breed permits shall be set by city council resolution.
B. 
A breed permit shall not be issued if the premises where the animal is harbored is within 300 feet of a dwelling inhabited by someone other than the applicant.
C. 
Selling or giving away a puppy or kitten from a litter shall be prima facie evidence of breeding.
(Ord. 1515; Ord. 1551)
A. 
No person shall keep a dog over four months of age without maintaining a current license from the animal control officer. The fee for a license shall be established by city council resolution.
B. 
The animal control officer or an authorized agent shall furnish a metallic license tag and certificate with corresponding numbers to a dog owner upon payment of the license fee. The animal control officer or an authorized agent shall keep records of each person to whom a license tag and certificate is issued.
C. 
Each license shall expire one year from the date of purchase or the expiration date of the dog's rabies vaccination, whichever is earlier. No dog shall be licensed without proof of approved rabies vaccination.
D. 
The fee for a dog license shall be purchasable at a reduced rate in accordance with city council resolution for the following:
1. 
Registered service dogs.
2. 
Dogs honorably discharged from the armed forces or retired from police service.
3. 
Dogs kept by nonresidents traveling through the city for a period of less than 30 days. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a license shall be required for dogs that use a city dog park, unless the dog has a valid license and has a license tag or tattoo issued by the jurisdiction of the dog owner's primary place of residence.
4. 
Dogs temporarily brought into the city to participate in an exhibition.
E. 
Any license that is not renewed by midnight on the date it is scheduled to expire shall be considered delinquent and a late fee as determined by city council resolution shall be added to the cost of the new license. The animal control officer may waive the late fee if the animal control officer determines the applicant made a reasonable effort to comply with the renewal deadline.
F. 
False or Stolen Documents Illegal. No person shall make use of or have in his or her possession or under his or her control a stolen, counterfeit, or forged dog license receipt, dog license tag, rabies vaccination certificate, antirabies inoculation deferment form, or other form issued in accordance with this section.
G. 
Display of Certificates Required Upon Demand. Every person shall, upon demand by the animal control officer, exhibit a current dog license tag or certificate issued to said person pursuant to this section.
H. 
Wearing of License Tag. Each dog required to be licensed shall wear at all times the current license tag assigned to that dog, except:
1. 
When the dog is physically confined within the premises of the owner or other person authorized to have custody;
2. 
When the dog is confined in a vehicle or cage;
3. 
When the dog is participating in any dog exhibition, field trial or competition; or
4. 
When the dog is confined in a licensed kennel or veterinary hospital, in which case the license tag number shall be recorded and placed nearby so that it is readily identifiable with the dog to which it belongs; or if not licensed, that fact shall be clearly indicated on the facility's records.
I. 
A license tag shall not be removed from any dog without the consent of the owner thereof.
(Ord. 1515; Ord. 1523; Ord. 1533; Ord. 1551; Ord. 1708, 2/12/2024)
A. 
The license tag issued for the current license year shall be securely fastened to the collar or harness of the dog, and shall be worn by the animal when at large.
B. 
No dog owner shall fail or refuse to show to the animal control officer or to a police officer the license tag or certificate issued for the animal.
C. 
A dog may, at the owner's option and expense, be tattooed with its registration information.
(Ord. 1515; Ord. 1551)
A. 
Dog Vaccination Required. Every person owning or harboring a dog four months of age or older, for 15 days or more, shall, if not currently vaccinated, have such dog vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian with a vaccine approved by the California Department of Health. Dogs that are ill may be given temporary deferment from rabies vaccination requirements by obtaining an antirabies deferment from a licensed veterinarian, and upon approval of the animal control officer; old age of the dog, however, shall not be a basis for such deferment. A dog referring such a deferment shall be vaccinated within 10 days of the conclusion of the deferment period.
B. 
Quarantine.
1. 
The State Director of Health has declared Orange County a rabies area. The animal control officer or an authorized agent is authorized under state law to quarantine suspected rabid animals. The animal control officer is hereby empowered to enter upon any private property, including the home or residence where the animal is kept or has strayed, to inspect, and if necessary, to seize and impound any animal suspected of being rabid for a period of 14 days (10 days for dogs and cats). The impounding officer shall make a reasonable effort to immediately notify the owner or custodian of the animal before it has been impounded and the address of the facility to which it will be taken. If the owner or custodian is not present at the time of impounding, the above notice shall be posted on the property of such owner or custodian, if known. In lieu of impounding the animal, he or she may require the owner to quarantine the animal for such period by serving a written notice upon the owner.
2. 
No person shall disobey any quarantine order issued by the animal control officer or remove any animal from its place of confinement under quarantine without the permission of the animal control officer.
C. 
Duty to Report. Any person having knowledge of the location of an animal suspected of having rabies, or of any person having been bitten or scratched by any warm-blooded mammal, or of any signs of disease or unusual behavior in any animal under quarantine, shall immediately report such facts to the animal control officer.
D. 
Proof of Vaccination. No person who owns or harbors any dog shall fail or refuse to exhibit his or her copy of the rabies vaccination form, antirabies inoculation deferment form, or health certificate upon demand by the animal control officer.
E. 
Duty of Person Performing Vaccination. Each duly licensed veterinarian after vaccinating any dog shall complete and sign a rabies certificate in triplicate. He or she shall keep one copy and shall give one copy to the owner of the vaccinated dog, which the owner shall retain in his or her possession. He or she shall file the other copy with the animal control officer within 30 days.
(Ord. 1515; Ord. 1551; Ord. 1708, 2/12/2024)
A. 
No person having the care, charge, or control of any dog shall cause or allow such dog to be present upon any beach, street, alley, or public place, or upon any private property or premises other than his or her own without written consent of the owner or lessee of the premises, unless such dog is securely restrained by a substantial leash or chain not exceeding six feet in length and controlled by a person competent to restrain such dog. Leashed dogs are not permitted in areas where dogs are prohibited.
B. 
No person having the care, charge, or control of a cat shall permit the cat to enter upon another person's property or residential unit without permission.
C. 
The animal control officer may impound any cat or dog found in violation of this section.
(Ord. 1515; Ord. 1551; Ord. 1708, 2/12/2024)
A. 
Impounded cats and dogs shall be held at the animal shelter in accordance with state law.
B. 
The animal control officer may sell any impounded cat or dog that is not redeemed within the statutory hold period. Such sale shall be made to the person offering both the highest amount of cash and payment of all animal shelter fees associated with the animal. Cats older than six months shall not be sold unless spayed or neutered.
(Ord. 1515; Ord. 1551)
A. 
No person shall keep, maintain, or permit on any lot or parcel of land under his or her control or ownership, any animal of any type, including any fowl, that makes any sound, noise, or cry that due to a combination of its volume, pitch, pattern, or frequency interferes with the comfortable enjoyment of life and property. Such interference shall constitute a public nuisance and a noise disturbance in accordance with this title.
B. 
An animal is not deemed to interfere with the comfortable enjoyment of life and property if the animal is making noise due to a person or other animal that is trespassing or threatening to trespass upon private property in or upon which the animal is situated, or when the animal is being teased or provoked, or is impounded at the city's animal shelter.
C. 
Any person authorized to enforce the requirements of this chapter may do so on the basis of either his or her own direct observation of a violation or written complaints, signed under penalty of perjury, by 2 or more persons who reside in separate residences and each personally witnessed the violation.
D. 
Nothing in this chapter shall establish standards for private civil claims, in either civil court or small claims court, nor shall this chapter preclude any person from pursuing a private civil action in either civil or small claims court.
(Ord. 1515; Ord. 1551; Ord. 1609)
No person shall transport an animal by motor vehicle unless the animal is confined to prevent falling or jumping off the vehicle.
(Ord. 1515; Ord. 1551)
No person shall operate a kennel within 1,000 feet of any dwelling inhabited by someone other than the kennel operator.
(Ord. 1515; Ord. 1551)
A. 
No cat owner or dog owner shall fail or refuse to remove feces defecated by the animal onto city property or onto private property not owned by such owner.
B. 
No person owning or occupying property where an animal is kept shall maintain such property in an unsanitary condition. An accumulation of uneaten food, feces or other matter that emits an offensive odor or encourages insect breeding shall constitute prima facie evidence of an unsanitary condition. This provision shall not prohibit storage of uneaten food, feces or other matter in a closed container prior to disposal.
(Ord. 1515; Ord. 1551)
A. 
No owner of an animal shall permit the animal to remain in any restaurant, store or vehicle where commercial food for human consumption is offered for sale, prepared, stored or transported.
B. 
This section shall not apply to visually impaired persons utilizing seeing eye dogs.
(Ord. 1515; Ord. 1551)
No owner of a dog shall tie the dog to a tree, bike rack or similar object in front of any public place.
(Ord. 1515; Ord. 1551)
No person shall offer any animal for sale, barter or donation on city property.
(Ord. 1515; Ord. 1551)
It is unlawful for any person to feed or provide food to any nondomesticated animal. This prohibition shall not apply to the feeding of wild birds that are confined in an enclosure on private property.
(Ord. 1515; Ord. 1551; Ord. 1708, 2/12/2024)
No owner of an animal, other than a cat or dog, shall permit the animal to run at large.
(Ord. 1515; Ord. 1551)
A. 
No person shall keep an animal within 50 feet of a school or hospital. This prohibition shall not apply to the keeping of cats, dogs or birds of the psittacine family. This prohibition also shall not apply to the keeping of an animal in the dwelling of the owner.
B. 
No person shall keep more than 4 birds of the psittacine family within 35 feet of any inhabited structure, school or hospital.
(Ord. 1515; Ord. 1551)
No person shall keep a beehive within 200 feet of a dwelling inhabited by someone other than the beekeeper. This prohibition shall not apply to the keeping of bees within an educational institution, medical office or laboratory for educational or research purposes, provided the bees are not permitted to fly at large.
(Ord. 1515; Ord. 1551)
A. 
No person shall keep any of the following animals: cattle; hogs; fowl; goats; horses; mules; or pigs of any size, kind, or sex.
B. 
Notwithstanding this section, a person may keep a pig of any size, kind, or sex if that person first obtains a non-domestic animal permit pursuant to Section 7.05.030 of Chapter 7.05. All permitting requirements, conditions, and procedures applicable to the non-domestic animal permit shall also apply to a non-domestic animal permit for the keeping of a pig.
(Ord. 1515; Ord. 1551; Ord. 1633; Ord. 1635)
Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, the park located at Lampson Avenue and Heather Street ("Arbor Park") is hereby established as a dog park, in which responsible adults may allow dogs to be without leashes within the fenced areas, provided that the responsible adults and all persons accompanying them comply with all of the following conditions. For purposes of this section, "responsible adult" means any person 18 years or older who owns, has a proprietary interest in, harbors, or has the care, charge, control, custody or possession of a dog.
A. 
Each dog must be chaperoned by a responsible adult. For the purposes of this section, to "chaperone" a dog means that a responsible adult is inside the dog park and is in control of the dog at all times.
B. 
Each responsible adult may chaperone a maximum of 3 dogs in the dog park on each visit.
C. 
A responsible adult may allow any dog that he or she chaperones to be without leashes inside the fenced areas of the dog park. However, dogs must wear leashes at all times the dogs are not inside the fenced areas.
D. 
No animals, other than domesticated dogs, are permitted in the dog park.
E. 
Persons entering or exiting the fenced areas of the dog park must close park gates behind them.
F. 
Dog License. A license must be obtained prior to a dog using the dog park, as follows:
1. 
A city dog license must be obtained pursuant to the provisions of this chapter for a dog owned by a city resident or by any person who lives in a jurisdiction that does not require a license for the dog; or
2. 
A valid dog license must be obtained by any person who is not a city resident pursuant to the laws of jurisdiction of the dog owner's primary place of residence.
G. 
Metallic License Tags or Registration Tattoos. Dogs in the dog park must wear metallic license tags at all times, unless the dogs are tattooed with their registration information. If a dog owner is not a city resident, and the jurisdiction of the dog owner's primary place of residence does not provide either license tags or tattooing for licensed dogs, the owner must obtain a license tag or tattoo from the city pursuant to the provisions of this chapter prior to the dog using the dog park.
H. 
Annual Dog Park Permit for Non-Residents. Prior to using the dog park, an annual dog park permit must be obtained for each dog that belongs to a person who is not a city resident. The application for the permit shall consist of an application fee and proof of a current dog license. The annual fee shall be set by city council resolution. In addition to a license tag or tattoo required pursuant to subsection G, such dog must wear a metallic permit tag at all times the dog is inside the dog park.
I. 
No dog shall be permitted in the dog park unless it has received a rabies vaccination within the last 3 years, and the effective period of the vaccine has not elapsed.
J. 
Each responsible adult shall, at all times, take all reasonable precautions to prevent the dog(s) they chaperone from biting, attacking or attempting to bite or attack any person or dog. A responsible adult shall immediately remove a dog he or she chaperones from the dog park if it bites, attacks or attempts to bite or attack any person or dog.
K. 
No person who has the care, charge, control, custody, or possession of any of the following kinds of dog shall allow such dog to enter or remain in the dog park at any time:
1. 
A dog less than 4 months old.
2. 
A dog in heat.
3. 
A vicious animal.
4. 
A dog with a communicable illness, infection, fleas, or parasites.
5. 
A dog that is currently under quarantine or that has previously been under quarantine by order of the animal control officer.
L. 
The following are prohibited in the dog park and no person shall bring any of the following into the dog park:
1. 
Food (irrespective of whether the food is intended for consumption by humans, dogs, or other species).
2. 
Dog treats.
3. 
Glass containers.
4. 
Alcohol.
5. 
Children's toys.
6. 
Sports equipment.
M. 
Smoking is prohibited in the dog park and within 20 feet of the perimeter of the dog park.
N. 
In the event the city designates specific areas of the dog park for dogs of certain sizes, a responsible adult shall not allow a dog to enter an area of the park for dogs of a different size. If a responsible adult brings dogs in different size categories to the dog park, none of those dogs will be allowed to enter the park unless each dog within a different size category is accompanied by a chaperone for its designated specific area.
O. 
No responsible adult shall fail or refuse to remove feces defecated by a dog he or she chaperones at the dog park. Waste receptacles are located within the park for disposal purposes.
P. 
For the safety of all dogs, spike collars, pinch collars and choke collars are not permitted.
Q. 
Responsible adults shall not allow their dogs to dig holes.
R. 
All persons shall comply with instructions of peace officers and animal control officers at all times. Violation of this or any other provision of this section shall be grounds for immediate and permanent expulsion from the use of the dog park and revocation of a dog permit.
(Ord. 1515; Ord. 1523; Ord. 1533; Ord. 1551)
No person having the care, charge or control of any dog shall cause or allow, either willfully or through failure to exercise due care or control, such dog to be present on or in any public school property other than when specifically invited by the school administration.
The prohibitions contained in this section shall not be applicable to any service dog, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), or any dog being trained to be a service dog as defined by the ADA pursuant to a recognized program of training, provided the dog is on a leash and the person in charge has an official identification card issued for such purposes.
(Ord. 1708, 2/12/2024)