The owner of all dogs or cats six months old or older shall annually obtain a license therefor as hereinafter provided.
(A) Application by owner. The owner of a dog or cat, for which a license is required, shall, before January 1 of each year, apply to the City Clerk for a license for each dog or cat owned by him or her. Such application for license may be made after January 1, and at any time, for a dog or cat which has come into the possession or ownership of the applicant or which has reached the age of six months after said date.
(B) Form of application. Subject application shall be in writing on blanks provided the City Clerk and shall state the owner’s name, address and phone number, type of animal (dog or cat), breed, sex, age, color, markings, name and, if microchipped, the number of the microchip. Such application shall also state the date of the most recent rabies vaccination and the date the dog or cat shall be revaccinated.
(C) License fee. The annual license fee shall be set by the resolution of the City Council. A written certificate from a licensed veterinarian shall be required to prove that a dog or cat is spayed or castrated.
(D) Condition for license. Before a license is issued for any dog or cat, the owner must present evidence with the application required by divisions (A) above that the dog or cat has a current, valid, and unexpired vaccination for rabies. Such evidence shall be a certificate of vaccination signed by a licensed veterinarian. The certificate shall:
(1) Show the date of the veterinarian’s signature;
(2) Identify the animal by name, species, breed, color, sex, birth date and weight;
(3) Identify the owner by name and address; and
(4) Identify the vaccination by type, date given, expiration date and serial number.
(E) Certificate of vaccination. The rabies vaccination required by division (D) above shall be an injection of anti-rabies vaccine approved by the state’s Department of Agriculture, and the frequency of revaccination necessary for approved vaccination shall be as established by subject department. The vaccine shall be administered by a licensed veterinarian and shall be given as approved by the state’s Department of Agriculture. The veterinarian shall issue a tag with a certificate of vaccination, and such tag shall at all times be attached to the collar of a dog or cat.
(F) Penalty fee. All licenses for dogs and cats shall expire at 12:00 midnight on December 31 of each year. Any application for a renewal license received after the expiration date shall be charged a late fee. Original applications for licenses for dogs and cats becoming six months of age are not subject to a late fee if the application is filed before the dog or cat is older than six months of age. Original applications for licenses for dogs and cats that have just come into the ownership of the applicant shall not be assessed a late fee if the application is filed with the City Clerk within five days of the date that the applicant acquired ownership. All penalty fees shall be set by resolution of the City Council.
(Ord. B-325, passed 8-19-1980; Ord. C-262, passed 6-4-1996; Ord. C-308, passed 1-5-1999; Ord. D-083, passed 1-4-2022)