Section 1: Confinement of dogs—On premises of owner. Any person owning, possessing or keeping a dog or dogs, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, licensed or unlicensed, shall confine such dog or dogs within an adequate fence or enclosure, or within a house, garage or other building, or shall confine such dog or dogs by a chain or leash of a length of not less than eight (8) feet affixed to the dog’s collar and attached to some substantial stationary object adequate to prevent the dog or dogs from running at large. Any dog not so confined shall be considered at large. Section 2: Confinement of cats—On premises of owner. Any person owning, possessing or keeping a cat or cats, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, licensed or unlicensed, shall confine such cat or cats within an adequate enclosure, or within a house, garage or other building, to prevent the cat or cats from running at large. Sterilized cats are exempt from confinement if in conformance with licensing and vaccination requirements. Any cat not tagged with proper identification or unsterilized shall be considered at large. Section 3: Neglect of an Animal—On premises of owner. Any person owning, possessing or keeping any animal shall ensure that the animal has an adequate amount of food and water readily available at all times that is capable of sustaining the animal for at least one (1) day. The animal shall also be provided with protection from the weather and disease through ready access to a clean, dry, and covered area. Section 4: Nuisance Animals. Owners of nuisance animals shall be subject to a fine. Nuisance animals are animals which infringe upon the rights of another animal or person, or:
Section 5: License fee; tags. It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to own, keep or harbor a dog or cat within the corporate limits of the City without first having paid to the City an annual license fee of ten dollars ($10.00) for each dog or cat six (6) months of age or over. The license fee required by this section shall be due and payable as soon as the dog or cat attains six (6) months of age. To secure a license, owner must provide proof of legal rabies vaccination within the previous ninety (90) days. Upon payment of the license fee to the City, it shall be the duty of the City to furnish the owner of the dog or cat with a metal tag of distinctive design with the serial number of the dog or cat and the year for which the same is issued. This serial number shall be kept on file by the City. Every dog or cat covered by this article must wear a collar of such type that the City license tag may be firmly attached at all times to the dog or cat’s collar or harness. Failure to keep such tag on the dog or cat’s collar shall be unlawful. Each identification tag issued to an owner of a sterile cat shall be of different and distinctive color, which can be readily distinguished from such tag that would be issued for an unsterilized cat. The license as referred to in this Section shall be effective for the year ensuing its issuance, and must be renewed each subsequent year on or before the anniversary date of the issuance of said tag. This license shall be non transferable and voided upon the death of a dog or cat. The owner may obtain a duplicate tag, if such tag is lost, by payment of a one dollar ($1.00) fee to the City. All owners of seeing eye dogs or guide dogs, such dogs being used to aid the blind, shall not be required to pay an annual City license fee; but shall be required to obtain a license and identification tag. Every person engaged in the business of buying, selling, breeding or boarding and who owns, harbors or keeps more than four (4) dogs and/or cats in a kennel shall pay an annual license fee to the City of twenty-five dollars ($25.00).It shall be illegal to misuse and/or alter an I.D. tag; any person doing so will be found guilty of License Fraud and subject to a fine. Section 6: Number of dogs and/or cats; permits required for more than four (4) dogs and/or cats. It shall be hereafter unlawful for any person, firm, corporation, or household to own, keep, or harbor more than four (4) dogs and/or cats over the age of six (6) months within the corporate limits of the City. This provision shall not apply to proprietors of animal hospitals, and veterinarians when such animals are kept upon premised used by such businesses. This provision also shall not apply to owners of dogs and/or cats who are animal breeders or kennel operators, who hold a license from the City of breeding or kennel operation. Keeping on the premises more than four (4) dogs and/or cats over the age of six (6) months shall be a prima facie evidence of violation of this Section. Any person found not to be in compliance with this Section of this Ordinance shall, at the discretion of Animal Services, have a period of not less than ten (10) days nor more than ninety (90) days to reduce the number through legal channels. Any person desiring to keep more than four (4) dogs and/or cats at the same address or on the same premises shall file an application with Animal Services for permission. If after immediate investigation of the premises by Animal Services, it appears that the keeping of said animals, as set out in the application, and the manner of keeping the same shall not be offensive, nor a public nuisance, nor unsanitary, they may issue a permit therefore and specify therein the condition and manner in which said animals may be kept upon the location set out in the application. The permit shall be renewed each subsequent year on or before the anniversary date. If at any time Animal Services shall find that any person to whom a permit has been issued for the keeping of more than four (4) dogs and/or cats on the same premises is keeping the same in a manner that is:
Animal Services shall revoke the permit issued to the person. However, no such permit shall be revoked until ten (10) days notice has been given to the person holding such permit.
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