(a) 
License required.
No person shall own or harbor within the city any cat or dog over four (4) months of age unless such cat or dog is licensed in accordance with this section. Proof of license is required by tag or microchip. A license is valid for the life of the cat or dog, unless revoked in accordance with subsection (f) of this section.
(b) 
Application.
Complete application for a license requires, for each cat or dog, payment of the applicable licensing fee and submission of a current vaccination certificate for such cat or dog and a completed and signed application form which shall include the name, address and phone number of the applicant, and a description of the cat or dog.
(c) 
License fee.
On and after October 1, 2020, if the cat or dog to be licensed is microchipped, the applicant shall pay the one-time standard licensing fee for registration (if microchipped), as set forth in appendix A of this code. On or after October 1, 2020, if the cat or dog to be licensed is not microchipped but will be microchipped by the city, the applicant shall pay the one-time standard licensing fee for registration (plus city microchip), as set forth in appendix A of this code. If the cat or dog to be licensed is exempt from the microchip requirement as set forth in section 4.03.003(a), the applicant shall pay the one-time standard licensing fee for tag registration (no microchip), as set forth in appendix A of this code.
(d) 
License issuance.
Upon submission of a complete application as set forth in subsection (b) of this section, the applicant shall be issued a microchip or tag license, as applicable.
(e) 
Prior tag license.
Any annual license for a cat or dog tag licensed issued on or before the effective date of this ordinance will be valid until the expiration of such annual license. Upon such expiration, the cat or dog must be licensed in accordance with subsection (a) of this section.
(f) 
Resubmission of proof of vaccination; revocation of license.
A license holder shall have an ongoing obligation to ensure the proof of rabies vaccination on file with animal control is current. A license holder is required to submit proof of current rabies vaccination within two (2) weeks of expiration of any proof of vaccination on file with animal control. Failure to do so will result in revocation of the applicable license.
(g) 
Timing of application.
Application for a license must be made within thirty days after obtaining a cat or dog over four (4) months of age. A municipal court judge having jurisdiction over a charge of a violation set forth in subsection (a) of this section, shall dismiss such charge for a person who secures a cat or dog license within such thirty-day period.
(h) 
Exemption from license fees.
Payment of license fees shall not be required for service dogs.
(i) 
Exception.
This article shall not apply to any cat or dog meeting the definition of a police service animal.
(j) 
License specific to cat or dog.
No person may use a license for any animal other than the cat or dog for which such license was issued.
[Ordinance 2024-36 adopted 8/20/2024]
(a) 
Required; conditions.
(1) 
No person, partnership, or corporation shall operate a commercial animal establishment, kennel or cattery unless the establishment is located in an area zoned for such use and unless a permit has first been obtained in compliance with this section.
(2) 
The city shall promulgate regulations for the issuance of permits and shall include requirements for humane care of all animals and for compliance with the provisions of this chapter and other applicable laws. The city may amend such regulations from time to time as deemed desirable for public health and welfare and for the protection of animals.
(3) 
When a permit applicant has documented ability to comply with the regulations promulgated by the city, the applicable commercial animal establishment permit shall be issued upon payment of the applicable fee as provided in appendix A to this code.
(4) 
The permit period shall begin when permitted and run through December 31st of the calendar year in which the permit was granted. All subsequent permit periods shall begin on January 1st of the following year and run through December 31st of the same year. Renewal applications for permits may be made thirty days prior to, and are due at, the start of each subsequent calendar year. Application for a permit to establish a new commercial animal establishment under the provisions of this chapter may be made at any time. The fees for a new establishment shall be prorated.
(5) 
Permits are not transferable. If there is a change in ownership of a commercial animal establishment, the new owner must apply for a new permit.
(6) 
No person shall train any dog to be used as a guard dog without possessing a valid state license in addition to the city permit. This subsection shall not apply to any federal, state or local governmental entity. The application for a guard dog training permit shall state the name, address and phone number of the owner and trainer, the location of the facility and the maximum number of dogs to be trained at the training facility at any given time.
(7) 
Every facility regulated by this chapter shall be considered a separate enterprise requiring an individual permit.
(8) 
Persons operating kennels for the breeding of dogs or cats must license such animals over four (4) months of age individually in accordance with this article 4.03.
(9) 
Payment of fees shall not be required of any veterinary hospital, animal shelter, government-operated zoological park, school district, or civic or charitable organization, but all other applicable regulations shall apply.
(10) 
A violation of this section is punishable by a fine of not less than two hundred dollars ($200.00) nor more than five hundred dollars ($500.00).
(11) 
Any person who has a change in the category under which a permit was issued shall make an application for the reclassification of the permit.
(b) 
Issuance; revocation.
(1) 
After an application for a commercial animal establishment is filed, the city shall inspect the facility prior to issuing the permit. The city may revoke any permit or license if the person holding the permit or license refuses or fails to comply with this chapter, the regulations promulgated by the city or any law governing the protection and keeping of animals.
(2) 
Any person whose commercial animal establishment permit or license is revoked shall, within ten days thereafter, humanely dispose of all animals owned, kept or harbored without causing injury to said animals. No part of the permit or license fee shall be refunded.
(3) 
It shall be a condition of the issuance of any commercial animal establishment permit or license that the city shall be permitted to inspect all animals and the premises where animals are kept at any time in accordance with law and shall, if permission for such lawful inspection is refused, revoke the permit or license of the refusing owner.
(4) 
If the applicant has withheld or falsified any information on the application, the city shall refuse to issue the permit or license.
(5) 
No person who has been convicted of cruelty to animals shall be issued a permit or license to operate a commercial animal establishment.
(6) 
Any person having been denied a commercial animal establishment license or permit may not reapply for a period of thirty (30) days. Each reapplication shall be accompanied by a fee equal to fifty percent (50%) of the applicable permit fee.
(7) 
Any permit that is issued based upon an application that is subsequently found to be incomplete or false in any manner is void.
[Ordinance 2024-36 adopted 8/20/2024]
(a) 
The owner or keeper of any cat or dog shall have such animal implanted with a registered microchip before the animal attains four (4) months of age. An owner or keeper of a cat or dog is exempt from this requirement if the cat or dog is determined to be medically unsuitable for microchipping by a licensed veterinarian. Proof of such determination must be in writing by a licensed veterinarian and submitted to animal control. If there is a change in contact information, the owner or keeper of the animal shall update contact information with animal control within thirty (30) days of such change. If there is a change in ownership of an animal, the owner or keeper shall be responsible for notifying animal control of the change within thirty (30) days of such change. The new owner or keeper shall be responsible for providing animal control with the new owner's or keeper's name, address and telephone number within thirty (30) days after the change in ownership.
(b) 
It is an affirmative defense to prosecution under this section that:
(1) 
The cat or dog owner is a nonresident of this city and is keeping the subject animal in the city for fewer than sixty (60) days;
(2) 
The animal owner has been a resident of this city fewer than (30) days; or
(3) 
The animal had been abandoned or lost and the temporary owner has had the cat or dog for fewer than thirty (30) days.
[Ordinance 2024-36 adopted 8/20/2024]