It shall be unlawful for any person to own a dog or cat four months old or older in the City unless the dog or cat is licensed, as required by the provisions of this article.
State law references: Unlicensed dogs prohibited, Code of Va., § 3.2-6524.
A. 
Required; application. Every owner of a dog or cat over the age of four months owned, possessed, or kept in the City shall obtain a license by making an oral or written application with the Director of Finance or his designee.
[Amended 6-14-2016 by Ord. No. 16-20]
B. 
License tax and rabies vaccination certificate. Each application shall be accompanied by the amount of the license tax and current certificate of rabies vaccination as required by this chapter or satisfactory evidence that such certificate has been obtained.
C. 
Authority of Director of Finance, issuance of license receipt. The Director of Finance, or his designee, shall only have authority to license dogs and cats of resident owners who reside within the boundary limits of the City and may require information to this effect from any applicant. Upon receipt of proper application and rabies vaccination certificate, the Director of Finance or his designee shall issue a license receipt on which he shall record the name and address of the owner, the date of payment, the amount of payment, the year for which issued, the serial number of the tag, whether male or female, whether spayed or neutered, whether a kennel; and he shall deliver the metal license tags or plates provided for herein. Each tag shall be stamped or otherwise permanently marked to show the name of the City and bear a serial number or other identifying information.
[Amended 6-14-2016 by Ord. No. 16-20]
D. 
Retention of information; Director of Finance to destroy unsold tags. The information thus received shall be retained by the Director of Finance, open to public inspection during the period for which such license is valid. All unsold tags shall be recorded and the unissued tags destroyed by the Director of Finance at end of each calendar year.
[Amended 6-14-2016 by Ord. No. 16-20]
E. 
False statements. It shall be unlawful for any person to make a false statement verbally or on an application in order to secure a dog or cat license to which he is not entitled.
State law references: Unlicensed dogs prohibited, Code of Va., § 3.2-6524; How to obtain licenses, Code of Va., § 3.2-6527; what dog or cat licenses shall consist of, Code of Va., § 3.2-6526.
[Amended 6-14-2016 by Ord. No. 16-20]
A. 
The Director of Finance shall keep all money collected for dog and cat license taxes pursuant to § 98-17 in a separate account from all other funds collected by him. The City shall use the dog and cat license funds for the following purposes:
(1) 
The salary and expenses of one or more Animal Control Officers and necessary staff;
(2) 
The care and maintenance of a pound;
(3) 
The maintenance of a rabies control program;
(4) 
Efforts to promote sterilization of dogs and cats.
State law references: Disposition of funds, Code of Va., § 3.2-6534; Supplemental funds, Code of Va., § 3.2-6535.
[Amended 6-14-2016 by Ord. No. 16-20]
Each veterinarian who vaccinates a dog against rabies or directs a veterinary technician in his employ to vaccinate a dog against rabies shall provide the owner a copy of the rabies vaccination certificate. The veterinarian shall forward within 45 days a copy of the rabies vaccination certificate or the information contained in such certificate to the Director of Finance of the locality in which the vaccination occurs.
The rabies vaccination certificate shall include at a minimum the signature of the veterinarian, the animal owner's name and address, the species of the animal, the sex, the age, the color, the primary breed, the secondary breed, whether or not the animal is spayed or neutered, the vaccination number, and expiration date. The rabies vaccination certificate shall indicate the locality in which the animal resides.
It shall be the responsibility of the owner of each vaccinated animal that is not already licensed to apply for a license for the vaccinated dog. If the Director of Finance determines, from review of the rabies vaccination information provided by veterinarians, that the owner of an unlicensed dog has failed to apply for a license within 90 days of the date of vaccination, the Director of Finance shall transmit an application to the owner and request the owner to submit a completed application and pay the appropriate fee. Upon receipt of the completed application and payment of the license fee, the Director of Finance or other agent charged with the duty of issuing the dog licenses shall issue a license receipt and a permanent tag.
The Director of Finance shall remit any rabies vaccination certificate received for any animal owned by an individual residing in another locality to the local Treasurer or Director of Finance for the appropriate locality.
Any veterinarian that willfully fails to provide the Director of Finance with a copy of the rabies vaccination certificate or the information contained in such certificate shall be subject to a civil penalty of $10 per certificate. Monies raised pursuant to this subsection shall be placed in the City's general fund for the purpose of animal control activities, including but not limited to spay or neuter programs.
State law reference: Similar provision, Code of Va., § 3.2-6529.
[Amended 6-14-2016 by Ord. No. 16-20]
No license tag shall be issued for any dog or cat unless there is presented to the Director of Finance or his designee satisfactory evidence that such dog or cat has been inoculated or vaccinated against rabies by a currently licensed veterinarian or currently licensed veterinary technician who was under the immediate and direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian on the premises.
State law reference: Rabies inoculation of dogs and domesticated cats, Code of Va., § 3.2-6521.
Dog and cat license receipts shall be carefully preserved by licensees and exhibited promptly upon request for inspection by an Animal Control Officer or Police Officer. The Animal Control Officer or Police Officer may check such receipts door-to-door at any time during the license year. Dog license tags shall be securely fastened to a substantial collar by the owner or custodian and worn by such dog. It shall be unlawful for the owner to permit any licensed dog four months old or older to run or roam at large at any time without a license tag. The owner of the dog may remove the collar and license tag required by this section when (i) the dog is engaged in lawful hunting, (ii) the dog is competing in a dog show, (iii) the dog has a skin condition which would be exacerbated by the wearing of a collar, (iv) the dog is confined; or (v) the dog is under the immediate control of its owner.
State law reference: Similar provision, Code of Va., § 3.2-6531.
[Amended 6-14-2016 by Ord. No. 16-20]
If a dog or cat license tag is lost, destroyed or stolen, the owner or custodian shall at once apply to the Director of Finance, or his designee, for a duplicate license tag, presenting the original license receipt. Upon affidavit of the owner before the Director of Finance, or his designee, that the original license tag has been lost, destroyed, or stolen, the Director of Finance shall issue a duplicate license tag which shall be immediately affixed to the collar of the dog by its owner. The Director of Finance, or his designee, shall endorse the number of the duplicate license tag and the date of issuance on the face of the original license receipt. The fee for a duplicate tag for any dog or cat shall be $1.
State law reference: Similar provisions, Code of Va., § 3.2-6532.
[Amended 9-14-2010 by Ord. No. 10-25]
It shall be unlawful for any person to own a dog or cat four months old or older in the City, unless such dog or cat is licensed under the provisions of this Section. The owner of any such dog or cat shall obtain a current license for the dog or cat and pay the license tax imposed herein. The license shall be valid for a period of one, two or three years, depending on the license tax paid, provided that the period covered by the license does not exceed the period of time covered by the certificate of rabies vaccination. Any license tax paid shall be nonrefundable.
The license tax upon all dog kennels and all dogs and cats over the age of four months which are owned, possessed or kept in the City shall be as follows: [Amended 12-13-2011 by Ord. No. 11-24]
1 Year
2 Years
3 Years
Unneutered or unspayed dog or cat
$10.00
$20.00
$30.00
Neutered or spayed dog or cat
$2.00
$4.00
$6.00
Kennel for up to 10 dogs
$50.00
$100.00
$150.00
Two or more blocks of kennels, each consisting of 10 dogs or less
$100.00
$200.00
$300.00
Duplicate for lost, destroyed or stolen tag
$1.00
$1.00
$1.00
State law references: Amount of license tax, Code of Va., § 3.2-6528; Duplicate license tags, Code of Va., § 3.2-6532.
[Amended 9-14-2010 by Ord. No. 10-25]
A. 
The license tax as prescribed in this chapter is due not later than 30 days after a dog or cat has reached the age of four months, or not later than 30 days after an owner acquires a dog or cat four months of age or older, and each year thereafter.
B. 
Any kennel license tax prescribed pursuant to this chapter shall be due annually or tri-annually on January 1 and not later than January 31 of the applicable year. Whether the license tax is due annually or tri-annually shall depend on whether a person is buying a one- or three-year license. If any person shall fail to remit to the Director of Finance the applicable license tax for a dog, cat, or kennel when due, a penalty of 25% shall be added to such tax.
[Amended 6-14-2016 by Ord. No. 16-20]
C. 
No license tax shall be levied on any dog that is trained and serves as a guide dog for a blind person, that is trained and serves as a hearing dog for a deaf or hearing-impaired person or that is trained and serves as a service dog for a mobility-impaired person.
As used in this section, "hearing dog" means a dog trained to alert its owner by touch to sounds of danger and sounds to which the owner should respond and "service dog" means a dog trained to accompany its owner for the purpose of carrying items, retrieving objects, pulling a wheelchair or other such activities of service or support.
State law references: Amount of license tax, Code of Va., § 3.2-6528; When license tax payable, Code of Va., § 3.2-6530.
Any dog or cat not wearing a collar bearing a valid license tag shall prima facie be deemed to be unlicensed, and in any proceedings under this chapter the burden of proof of the fact that such dog or cat has been licensed, or is otherwise not required to bear a tag at the time, shall be on the owner of the dog or cat.
State law reference: Effect of dog or cat not wearing a license tag as evidence, Code of Va., § 3.2-6533.