(A) No person shall operate a pet shop or commercial kennel without a license issued pursuant to the provisions of this chapter. All such operations shall comply with the requirements of the zoning ordinance.
(B) For the purpose of this chapter the following definitions shall apply:
ANIMAL. Means cats, dogs, domestic animals, and wild animals, and crossbreeds with wild animals not customarily maintained at all times in a cage.
KENNELS. A place where three or more animals are kept for the business of selling, boarding for a fee, breeding for a fee, or some other enterprise intended primarily for profit-making purposes except for an animal hospital, pet shop or veterinary clinic.
PET SHOP. Any person, partnership or corporation engaged in the business of breeding, buying, selling or boarding animals of any species except veterinary hospitals or kennels.
VETERINARY HOSPITAL. Any establishment maintained and operated by a licensed veterinarian for the diagnosis, care and treatment of diseases and injuries of animals.
(C) The City Council may require license applicants under this section to provide a statement indicating whether the applicant or any of his employees or agents have been convicted of any crimes relating to animal abuse or animal cruelty. Such requirements shall be a continuing one with respect to any new employees or agents of the applicant. Any conviction of a crime by the applicant or his agents or employees which bears any relevancy to the applicant’s proposed business may be found by the City Council to be grounds for denial of the license application or revocation or suspension of any existing license.
(D) No kennel licensee under this section may conduct business between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m. of the following day. Notwithstanding the foregoing, pet shops and veterinary hospitals/clinics are excluded from these restrictions.
(E) (1) The expiration date of licenses addressed in this section shall expire on December 31 of each year. Applications for renewal shall be made a minimum of 30 days prior to expiration of the current license. No license issued under the terms of this section shall be transferable between persons or premises.
(2) The Humane Officer shall conduct an inspection prior to the issuance of the license and shall recommend to the City Council whether or not to renew the license without full compliance to the requirements of this section.
(F) Kennels and pet shops shall be kept in a clean and healthful condition at all times and shall be open to inspection by any person charged with the enforcement of this section. All pet shops and kennels shall be maintained in accordance with current standards of the Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council (PIJAC). A licensee shall be responsible for all actions and conduct of any employee or agent of the licensee and any violation of this section by an employee or agent shall be deemed to be actions and conduct of the licensee. The copy of the current standards of the PIJAC shall be provided by the owner/license holder for employees to use as a reference manual. Licensees and all employees shall have an understanding of the animal care statutes set by the State of Minnesota and Pet Industry Joint Advisory Council.
(`77 Code, § 5.609) (Am. Ord. 1333, passed 10-28-96; Am. Ord. 1377, passed 10-12-98) Penalty, see § 5.701