(A) Any owner of a dog or cat over the age of seven months within the municipality shall within 30 days after acquisition of the dog or cat acquire a license for each dog or cat. The owner shall renew the license annually for each dog or cat on or before January 2 of each year. It shall be the duty of the City Clerk to administer the issuance of dog and cat licenses and to issue license certificates and license tags, as herein provided. The licenses and tags may be obtained from the Police Department or any veterinarian who practices in the county and agrees to issue the licenses. In applying for a dog or cat license, the owner of the dog or cat shall state, in writing, upon printed forms provided for the purpose of the application, his or her own name, current address, and telephone number, together with the name, breed, color and sex of the dog or cat being licensed.
(B) (1) At the time of making the application, the owner of the dog or cat shall also present to the City Clerk, Police Department or veterinarian a certificate proving that the dog or cat to be licensed had be vaccinated against rabies, effective for the ensuing year of the license, in accordance with Nebraska law. No license or tag shall be issued until the rabies vaccination certificate is shown.
(2) Application having been made and a certificate of rabies vaccination having been presented, as hereinabove provided, the City Clerk, Police Department or veterinarian shall issue to the owner a license certificate and a metallic tag for each dog or cat licensed, upon the payment of the owner of a license tax of $10 for each neutered or spayed dog or cat, or $50 for each unneutered or unspayed dog or cat. In addition to and collected with the license tax, the owner shall pay the $1 fee required under Neb. RS 54-603(3) for each dog or cat licensed.
(3) The license tax shall be considered delinquent and an additional $10 shall be assessed for each dog or cat licensed after January 30. The City Clerk shall issue metallic tags of a suitable design that are different in appearance each year.
(C) The issuance of the license certificate and metallic tag, as hereinabove provided, shall entitle the owner to keep or harbor the dog or cat within the jurisdiction of the city until the day of December 31 following the issuance. As an alternative to a license tag, a dog or cat may be identified as licensed by being tattooed on its right ear or on its inside right thigh or groin with a license number approved or issued by the city, or may have a microchip (issued by a company approved by the City Council) that includes a license number approved or issued by the city inserted under its skin. The license certificate shall not be transferable and no refund will be allowed in the case of death, sale or other disposition of the licensed dog or cat. The cost of the tattoo or microchip shall be paid by the owner.
(D) (1) All dogs or cats within the jurisdiction of the city shall wear a collar or harness and the metallic license tag shall be properly attached to such collar or harness (or shall be tattooed or have a microchip) at all times.
(2) It shall be unlawful for the owner of any dog or cat to permit or allow such dog or cat to wear any licensing identification other than the metallic tag, tattoo or microchip issued in accordance with this section.
(3) In the event that a metallic license tag is lost, and upon satisfactory evidence that the original license tag was issued in accordance with the provisions herein, the City Clerk shall issue a duplicate or new metallic license tag, which shall be valid for the balance of the year for which the license tax was paid. The City Clerk shall charge and collect a fee of $1 for each duplicate or new tag so issued.
(E) All money collected in payment of the license tax and other fees provided herein shall be immediately credited to the Fund for Animal Welfare and Control, except as otherwise provided by Neb. RS 54-603.
(Prior Code, § 6-106) (Ord. 4-95, passed 11-6-1995; Ord. 16-11, passed 6-27-2011)
Statutory reference:
Related provisions, see Neb. RS 17-526, 54-603, 71-4412