City Council passes new animal control ordinance

Ordinance #27250 (Adobe PDF)

Rules tighten animal ownership under new regulations:

• Establishes a charge of $70 per animal for breeders to obtain permits.
• Limits a single house to six cats and/or dogs. People owning more than a half-acre of land will be allowed eight.  People who currently own a greater number of animals can apply to the city to be allowed to keep their animals without penalty.
• Require dogs and cats be spayed or neutered. Animals younger than 6 months old, service animals, competition animals, those belonging to a licensed breeder or animal owners with a valid intact animal permit are exempt from spaying or neutering regulations. A veterinarian can also certify that an animal shouldn't be spayed or neutered for health reasons.
• Prohibits using animals as prizes
• Allows the city to seize and impound a dog suspected of causing bodily injury to a person until after a hearing on the dog's fate.
• Prohibits tethering of unsupervised dogs to trees or poles except "for a period no longer than necessary for the owner to complete a temporary task."
• Mandates that owners provide at least 150 square feet of space and a "building or properly designed doghouse" for a dog confined outdoors.