(A) Required; application; fee. All dogs kept, harbored or maintained by their owners in the town shall be licensed and registered if over six months of age. Dog licenses shall be issued by the Town Manager upon payment of a license tax of an amount as set by the Town Council. The owner shall state, at the time application is made for the license and upon printed forms provided for the purpose, his or her name and address and the name, breed, color and sex of each dog owned or kept by him or her. The provisions of this section shall not be intended to apply to dogs whose owners are nonresidents temporarily within the town, nor to dogs brought into the town for the purpose of participating in any dog show, nor to “seeing-eye” dogs properly trained to assist blind persons when the dogs are actually being used by blind persons for the purpose of aiding them in going from place to place. The license tax imposed by this section shall be an annual charge and shall be payable on or before January 1 of each year. The license tax on any dog over six months of age brought into the town to be kept in the town or on any dog which becomes six months of age after January 1 of any year shall become immediately due and payable to the town. All licenses must be purchased by February 15 or the owner will be subject to prosecution.
(Prior Code, § 4-16)
(B) Certificate; tags. Upon payment of the license fee, the Town Manager shall issue to the owner a license certificate and a metallic tag for each dog so licensed. The shape of the tag shall be changed every year and shall have stamped thereon the year for which it was issued and the number corresponding with the number on the certificate. Every owner shall be required to provide each dog with a collar to which the license tax must be affixed and shall see that the collar and tag are constantly worn. In case a dog tag is lost or destroyed, a duplicate will be issued by the Town Manager upon the payment of a fee as set by the Town Council and the presentation of a receipt showing the payment of the license fee for the current year. Dog tags shall not be transferable from one dog to another and no refunds shall be made on any dog license fee because of death of the dog or the owner’s leaving the town before expiration of the license period.
(Prior Code, § 4-17)
(Ord. passed 7-1-1972; Ord. passed 12-9-1980) Penalty, see § 10.99
Statutory reference:
Authority of town to levy an annual animal license tax, see G.S. § 160A-212