[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the
Town of Corinth as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted
where applicable.]
The Town of Corinth, New York, finds that the
running of dogs at large and other uncontrolled behavior of dogs has
caused physical harm to persons, damage to property and created nuisances
within the town. The purpose of this article is to protect the health,
safety and well being of persons and property by imposing restrictions
and regulations upon the keeping or running at large of dogs and the
seizure thereof within the town.
This article is enacted pursuant to provisions
of § 124 of Article 7 of the Agriculture and Markets Law.
The title of this article shall be "Dog Control
Ordinance of the Town of Corinth."
[Amended 11-18-2010 by L.L. No. 1-2010]
A. License required.
(1) All dogs in the Town of Corinth must be licensed with the Town Clerk
by the age of four months.
(2) In order to obtain a license, the dog owner must present a certificate
from a licensed veterinarian showing that the dog has been vaccinated
to prevent rabies, or a statement certified by a licensed veterinarian
stating that, because of old age or other reason, the life of the
dog would be endangered by the administration of rabies vaccine.
B. License duration; fee; type.
(1) All dog licenses will be valid for a period of one year and will
expire on the last day of the month one year from the date of issue.
(2) The fee will be $6 for a spayed or neutered dog and $14 for an unspayed
or unneutered dog. Such license fees include the assessment of a $1
surcharge for altered dogs and $3 for unaltered dogs for the New York
State Animal Population Control Program, or any county-wide program
as may be implemented.
[Amended 4-11-2013 by L.L. No. 1-2013]
(3) Exemptions.
[Amended 4-11-2013 by L.L. No. 1-2013]
(a) A
guide dog, a police work dog, hearing dog, working search dog or detection
dog, as those terms are defined by § 108 of the New York
State Agriculture and Markets Law, Article 7, will be exempt from
all license fees. Such dogs must be licensed annually.
(b) A
service animal shall be any dog that is individually trained to do
work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability,
including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual or other
mental disability. On a case-by-case basis these dogs may be exempt
from the license fee if the Town Board so determines.
(4) The Town of Corinth will not be issuing purebreed or kennel licenses.
All dogs will be licensed individually according to the fee system
stated above.
C. Saratoga County Animal Shelter.
(1) Saratoga County Animal Shelter is authorized to issue dog licenses
for dogs which will reside within the Town of Corinth. No other shelter,
pound, breeder, or any other facility is authorized to issue licenses
for dogs in the Town of Corinth.
(2) The Saratoga County Animal Shelter is authorized to charge for and
collect the license fee.
(3) All information regarding dogs licensed by the Saratoga County Animal
Shelter which reside within the Town of Corinth will be promptly provided
to the Town Clerk.
(4) The Saratoga County Animal Shelter will be solely responsible for
collecting the mandatory surcharge ($1 for altered animals and $3
for unaltered animals), for the New York State or county-run Animal
Population Control Program.
D. Obtaining license.
(1) All dog licenses may be purchased and obtained from the Town Clerk's
Office, or by regular mail. All license applications must be on a
form issued by the Town Clerk.
(2) Any application or renewal submitted by mail must be on the appropriate
form and must include the applicable fees. Fees are nonrefundable.
E. Seizure or impounding of dog.
(1) If any dog is seized or impounded for a violation of this chapter,
the impound fee for the first offense will be $10 plus $5 per day.
For a second or subsequent offense, the impound fee will be $50 plus
$5 per day.
(2) In addition, if a dog is euthanized, the dog owner shall be responsible
for such euthanization charges.
(3) Impound fees shall be paid to the Saratoga County Animal Shelter,
as appropriate.
F. All licensing fees collected by the Town Clerk shall be used in funding
administration of the Animal Control Law of the Town of Corinth and
such dog population control programs as the Town Board deems appropriate.
G. A dog enumeration may be conducted at such intervals as the Town
Board deems appropriate. If during a dog enumeration a dog is found
to be unlicensed, a fee of $5 will be assessed in addition to all
other licensing fees.
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
AT LARGE
Any dog, if elsewhere than on the premises of the owner,
not accompanied by the owner or his agent having said dog under control
at all times shall be considered at large. Where a dog does not readily
obey the commands of the owner or agent, said dog shall be leashed
when off the premises of the owner. No dog shall be deemed at large
if it is:
A.
A police dog in use for police work; or
B.
Accompanied by its owner or other responsible
person and is actively engaged in hunting or training for hunting
on posted land with the permission of the owner of the land;
C.
Seeing Eye dog during such time as such dogs
are performing the functions for which they are trained.
HARBOR
To provide food and shelter to any dog.
OWNER
Any person who harbors or keeps any dog. In the event any
dog found in violation of this article shall be owned by a person
under 18 years of age, the owner shall be deemed to be the parent
or guardian of such person (or head of the household in which said
person resides).
It shall be unlawful for any owner of any dog
to permit or allow such dog, in the town of Corinth, to:
B. Engage in habitual loud howling, barking, crying or
whining or to conduct itself in such a manner so as to unreasonably
and habitually annoy any person;
C. Cause damage or destruction to property, or commit
a nuisance by defecating or urinating upon the premises of a person
other than the owner of such dog;
D. Chase or otherwise harass any person in such a manner
as reasonably to cause intimidation or to put such person in reasonable
apprehension of bodily harm or injury while at large; or
E. Habitually chase, run along side or bark at motor
vehicles or bicycles while at large;
F. Bite, attack, cause injury to a person.
This article shall be enforced by any Dog Control
Officer, peace officer, when acting pursuant to his special duties,
or police officer in the employ of or under contract to the Town of
Corinth.
[Amended 4-11-2013 by L.L. No. 1-2013]
If any dog kept in the Town of Corinth has bitten
a person at any time, the owner shall keep such dog confined for a
period of 10 days if proof of rabies vaccination is available. If
no such proof can be found then said dog shall be impounded at the
Saratoga County Animal Shelter under the direction of the Animal Control
Officer for the period of 10 days, at which time the owner shall redeem
his dog and take full responsibility for the impoundment fee. Aggressive
or possibly dangerous dogs will be handled under New York State Agriculture
and Markets Law Article 7, § 123, Dangerous dogs.
A. Any dog found in violation of the provision of §
55-7 of this article may be seized pursuant to the provision of § 118 of the Agriculture and Markets Law.
B. Every dog seized shall be properly cared for, sheltered,
fed and watered during the redemption periods set forth in § 118
of the Agriculture and Markets Law.
C. Seized dogs may be redeemed by providing proof of
licensing and identification pursuant to the provision of Article
7 of the Agriculture and Markets Law and by paying the impoundment
fees set forth in § 118 of said article and by paying the
full board charges of the Saratoga County Animal Shelter.
Any person who observes a dog in violation of
this article may file a complaint under oath with the Dog Control
Officer of the Town of Corinth specifying the nature of the violation,
the date thereof, a description of the dog and the name and residence,
if known, of the owner of such dog. Such complaint may serve as the
basis for enforcing the provisions of this article.
Any Dog Control Officer, peace officer, when acting pursuant to his special duties, or police officer in the employ of or under contract to the Town of Corinth observing a violation of this article in his presence, or upon obtaining a written complaint under §
55-11 of this article, shall issue and serve upon such person an appearance ticket for such violation.
Any person convicted of a violation of this
article shall be deemed to have committed a violation and shall be
subject to a fine not less than $10 and not to exceed $25 for a first
violation, not less than $20 nor more than $50 for a second violation,
and shall be subject to a fine of $50 or imprisonment for a period
not exceeding 25 days for each subsequent violation.
[Adopted 6-14-2007 by L.L. No. 4-2007;
amended 4-11-2013 by L.L. No. 1-2013]
The purpose of this article is to promote the
public health, safety and welfare of the residents of the Town of
Corinth by enforcing regulations and restrictions on the activities
of domestic animals and the seizure thereof consistent with the rights
and privileges of animal owners as well as the rights and privileges
of other citizens of the Town.
This article is enacted pursuant to the provisions
of Article 7 of the Agriculture and Markets Law and the Municipal
Home Rule Law of the State of New York.
A. As used in this article, the following terms shall
have the meanings indicated:
ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICER
Any person or persons appointed by the Town Board to perform the duties of Dog Control Officer as set forth in Article
I, to assist in the enforcement of the Agriculture and Markets Law generally, to enforce the provisions of this article, and to respond to public complaints regarding animals.
NUISANCE WILDLIFE
Nondomesticated wild animals which have entered onto private
property and are presenting a danger to persons or property. The term
"nuisance wildlife" may include but is not limited to raccoons, skunks,
weasels, squirrels, chipmunks, foxes, bats, deer, opossums, fishers
and beaver.
OWNER
Any person who owns, harbors or keeps an animal.
SERIOUS PERSONAL INJURY
Physical injury which creates a substantial risk of death,
or which causes death, serious and protracted disfigurement, scarring,
protracted impairment of health or protracted loss or impairment of
the function of any bodily organ.
B. The definitions of terms as set forth in Article 7
of the Agriculture and Markets Law of the State of New York shall
be applicable to all such other terms as contained in this article.
A. The owner of an animal, whether or not tagged or licensed,
shall be responsible for removing and cleaning any waste or excrement
deposited by said animal upon public or private property not belonging
to the owner. All such waste and excrement shall be removed and thereafter
discarded in a safe and sanitary manner to avoid the waste and bacteria
from being washed into storm drains or roadside ditches.
B. The owner of an animal shall provide such animal with
adequate and wholesome food and water, adequate shelter and protection
from inclement weather, and adequate veterinary care.
C. No person shall confine an animal in an unattended,
enclosed vehicle when the outside temperature is 70° F. or more
unless the interior of the vehicle is provided with conditioned air
and maintains an internal temperature of 80° F. or less.
D. The Animal Control Officer or other officer shall
have the authority to remove any animal found in an enclosed vehicle
when he deems that there is a risk that such animal is suffering excess
heat or cold or lack of oxygen.
E. The owner of an animal shall remove and properly dispose
of such animal within 24 hours of such animal's death.
It shall be unlawful for any owner of any cat
to permit or allow such cat, while in the Town of Corinth to:
A. Cause serious personal injury to a person or domestic
animal, including but not limited to another cat.
B. Spray or to defecate in such a way as to cause annoyance
to any person other than the owner of such cat.
C. Cause damage or destruction to property or to commit
a nuisance upon the premises of a person other than the owner of such
cat.
D. Remain in the Town of Corinth unless currently vaccinated
against feline rabies.
In the event that the Town of Corinth has, either
directly or from a third party, including but not limited to any humane
society or organization for the protection of animals, taken into
its care and custody an animal, the owner of such animal shall pay
any veterinary or kenneling costs on behalf of such animal.
Any animal in the custody of the Town of Corinth
may be made available for adoption or euthanized consistent with the
provisions of § 118 of the Agriculture and Markets Law. Any animal offered for adoption must be spayed or neutered
prior to adoption.
Nuisance wildlife may be transported and released
by an individual, including the Animal Control Officer, who possesses
a valid license issued by the Department of Environmental Conservation
pursuant to New York State Environmental Conservation Law § 11-0524.
The Animal Control Officer may enforce the provisions
of this article or of the Agriculture and Markets Law and may also
investigate and report to a Town Justice of the Town of Corinth, any
humane officer or any officer of the Department of Environmental Conservation
as appropriate, and may enforce orders of the Town Justice.
Any person convicted of a violation of this
article shall be deemed to have committed a violation and shall be
subject to a fine not less than $10 and not to exceed $25 for a first
violation, not less than $20 nor more than $50 for a second violation,
and shall be subject to a fine of $50 or imprisonment for a period
not exceeding 25 days for each subsequent violation.