(A) It shall be unlawful for any person to keep or permit to be kept upon his or her premises within the county limits any wild or exotic animal or any venomous animal as a pet or for exhibition purposes, whether gratuitously or for a fee, without a permit from the Animal Control Department. This section shall not apply to zoological parks, circuses, performing animal exhibitions, veterinary clinics, medical or educational facilities which are properly licensed by the federal government and/or the North Carolina animal services. In no case, however, shall any such wild, exotic, and/or venomous animal(s) be exhibited, displayed, or kept in such a manner as to permit the animal(s) to escape, run at large, or otherwise come in direct physical contact with any person unless under the direct care and control of the owner, caretaker, or handler.
(B) The owner of a wild or exotic animal or venomous animal shall apply to the Animal Control Department, within ten working days of acquisition of said animal or within ten working days of becoming a new resident of the county or within ten working days of changing address within the county limits, for a permit authorizing the keeping of the animal within the county limits. Each application for a wild, exotic and/or venomous animal permit shall be by affidavit providing the following:
(1) The name and street address of each owner/custodian;
(2) The location of the animal’s enclosure;
(3) The common and scientific name of the animal;
(4) The date of acquisition of the animal;
(5) The source of acquisition of the animal;
(6) The sex, age, height and/or length of the animal;
(7) Any identifying marks or numbers unique to the animal;
(8) A recent picture of the animal;
(9) A statement of understanding initialed by the owner(s)/custodian(s) concerning human exposures in relation to the current state and local laws involving rabies control;
(10) The current telephone number and street address of the owner(s)/custodian(s) if the animal enclosure location differs from the residence of that of the residence of the owner(s)/custodian(s); and
(11) At least one emergency telephone number where the owner(s)/custodian(s) can be contacted in case of an emergency.
(C) In no case shall any permit be granted to any individual previously convicted of any of the following:
(1) Owning a nuisance, vicious or dangerous animal;
(2) Cruelty to animals;
(3) Failure to provide for an animal any of the requirements in this chapter;
(4) Any felony involving possession, care, use, or treatment of an animal;
(5) Conviction of a felony of violence within the last ten years including assault, manslaughter and murder in any degree.
(D) The permit may be revoked by the Animal Services Unit for any one of the following reasons.
(E) The permit shall not be transferable and shall be valid for one calendar year from the date of issuance and subject to annual renewal. One permit per address will be required within the county limits. On the permit shall be listed each animal held within the county limits as identified above.
(F) Any person who currently possesses within the county limits a wild, exotic, and/or venomous animal in contravention of this section shall comply within 60 days from the date of the adoption of this section or shall dispose of the animal by removal from the county, by surrendering or selling the animal to a zoological park, or, with the permission of the animal control officer, by releasing the animal to the Animal Control Department. It shall be unlawful to release any wild, exotic and/or venomous animal into the wild.
(G) The fee to cover the cost of the initial permit including renewals shall be included in the Schedule of Fees upon adoption of the annual budget. Each permit shall be in effect for the calendar year in which it was purchased. An additional fee will be collected for annual permit renewal, adding of additional animals to an existing permit, or duplication of an existing permit.
(H) It shall be unlawful for any person to furnish false information for the purpose of obtaining a permit. Any permit obtained under fraudulent pretenses shall be null and void with any animals named thereon subject to impoundment by the Animal Control Department pending a determination by a court of competent jurisdiction as to the appropriate disposition of any animals subject to the permit.
(Ord., passed 7-6-21) Penalty, see § 93.99