(A) An owner or harborer of a dog or cat over the age of five months shall obtain a current pet registration for the animal(s) as provided in this section.
(1) Animal welfare organizations, municipal animal control facilities, governmental agencies, and community cat providers shall be exempt from this requirement.
(B) A durable tag stamped with registration number and year of issuance will be issued to a pet registration holder for each pet registration granted. Dogs and cats shall wear their stamped tags affixed to their collars at all times, except when participating in an organized show, obedience demonstration, training event, under the care of a licensed veterinarian, while being housed at the Department, animal welfare organization or at a permitted kennel, grooming establishment and/or day care.
(1) The Department shall maintain records of the identifying current pet registration for each animal(s) properly registered by the Department.
(C) A person who owns a surgically sterilized dog or cat may, as an alternative to an annual pet registration, obtain a lifetime pet registration for the dog or cat with a microchip implant. This lifetime pet registration shall continue as long the person is the registered owner.
(1) Each lifetime pet registration holder will be issued a durable stainless steel tag with a registration number for each pet registration granted. Dogs and cats shall wear their tags, affixed to their collars, at all times except as outlined in (B) above. Lifetime tags which become unreadable shall be replaced by the owner at the Department.
(D) An unaltered animal(s) shall be classified as an altered animal for purposes of pet registration and fees upon presentation to the Department of documentation from a state licensed veterinarian, which establishes that the sterilization of the animal(s) would jeopardize the animal's health. Registration of the unaltered animal at the altered fee will constitute the owner's agreement not to breed the animal.
(E) Service animal exemption. A person who is impaired by:
(1) Blindness or any other visual impairment;
(2) Deafness or any other audial impairment;
(3) A physical disability; or
(4) A medical condition; and relies on a service animal for navigation, assistance in performing daily activities or alert signals regarding the onset of the person's medical condition, shall be exempt from the payment of an animal pet registration fee for the service animal.
(F) Senior citizen exemption. An owner over the age of 61 years with an altered dog or cat shall be exempt from the payment of an annual pet registration fee and shall be charged the altered pet registration fee for a lifetime pet registration of the altered animal.
(G) Lifetime and annual pet registrations are non- transferable.
(H) The owner or harborer of an animal(s) who moves into the city for the purposes of establishing a residence, or who becomes a resident of the city as a result of annexation, shall have 30 days thereafter to obtain the pet registration(s) required by this chapter. Owners or harborers shall also be required to obtain a pet registration if they reside in the city for an aggregate time frame in excess of 30 days within a one year time period.
(I) A person who owns a dog or cat which has been implanted with a microchip shall transfer the microchip documentation with the Department and national registry upon the sale, trade, barter, gift or transfer of the microchipped dog or cat. A dog or cat received by the Department with an untraceable tag or microchip due to an owner's failure to keep contact information current with the Department, a national registry or a state licensed veterinarian, will be held three business days prior to disposition.
(1) Owners must contact the Department with changes of address, telephone, or ownership. Failure to keep contact information current may prevent the department from contacting an owner; in such event, animal(s)s will be held three business days prior to disposition. The Department will consider the registered microchip and/or tag owner to be the legal owner of the animal(s) unless the registered microchip or tag owner advises they have given away, sold, transferred, adopted, or otherwise rehomed the animal(s).
(2) A durable tag issued by a national registry will be provided to the owner of an animal that has received a microchip implant. The tag will bear a corresponding number to the implanted microchip number and will be traceable through the Department database. The tag shall display a national, toll free, daily 24 hour telephone number for the purpose of animal and owner identification and advanced national registry if the owner so chooses.
(J) Costs.
(1) (a) Annual registration for altered dog or cat: $5
(b) Annual registration for unaltered dog or cat: $100
(c) Lifetime* registration for dog or cat: $30
(d) Replacement tags: $5
(e) Senior (62+) annual altered registration Free
(f) Senior (62+) lifetime* registration dog or cat $5
* Animal must be altered and have a microchip to qualify for a lifetime pet registration
(Ord. G-23-18, passed 9-25-18)