A. Required: Every owner of a dog four (4) months or more of age, who is a resident of the County, is required to have the dog inoculated against rabies as denoted in the Animal Control Act.
B. Approved Interval: Every dog shall have a second rabies vaccination within one year of the first vaccination and every year thereafter. However, if the vaccine used is one recognized by the State Department of Agriculture for a three (3) year period of immunity, and the dog is over twelve (12) months of age at the time of inoculation, the interval between inoculations may be extended to three (3) years.
C. Inoculation Certificate: Evidence of such rabies inoculation shall be entered on a certificate, the form provided by the Animal Control Department. The inoculation certificate shall be signed by a licensed veterinarian administering the vaccine and a copy provided to the Animal Control Department.
D. Purchase Of Inoculation Tag: County dog owners shall have ten (10) days from the date of inoculation to purchase a rabies inoculation tag.
E. Fees:
1. Fees Established: Every dog owner shall pay a rabies tag fee as follows:
a. For each unspayed female dog and unneutered male dog owned by a person, the fee shall be thirty dollars ($30.00) per year or eighty five dollars ($85.00) for three (3) years.
b. For each spayed female dog and neutered male dog owned by a person, the fee shall be eighteen dollars ($18.00) per year or fifty dollars ($50.00) for three (3) years.
c. For an Illinois Department of Agriculture licensed kennel, in lieu of paying individual rabies tag fee for each dog, the operator has the option of paying an annual fee of one thousand dollars ($1,000.00), regardless of the number of dogs. This fee may be collected quarterly.
d. If a rabies tag purchase is delinquent by more than thirty (30) days, a fifty dollar ($50.00) penalty fee will be assessed in addition to the applicable rabies tag fee. (Ord. 2011-6, 8-9-2011, eff. 9-1-2011)
e. The fee for a replacement rabies tag is established at eight dollars ($8.00). (Ord. 2018-5, 4-9-2018, eff. 6-1-2018)
2. Animal Control Fund: All fees collected shall be remitted to the County Treasurer, who shall place such money in the Animal Control Fund, which fund is to be used for the purpose of paying the cost of the animal control program.
F. Administration Of Provisions: The administration of this section shall be under the supervision of the Animal Control Act.
G. Enforcement Officials: The Administrator, Deputy Administrator and animal control warden are, for the purpose of enforcing this chapter, clothed with full police power. The Sheriff and his deputies and Municipal police officers shall cooperate with the Administrator in carrying out the provisions of this section.
H. Violation; Prosecution: Any person violating or aiding in or abetting the violation of any provision of this section, or counterfeiting or forging any certificate, permit or tag, or making any misrepresentation in regard to any matter prescribed by this section, or resisting, obstructing, or impeding the Administrator or any authorized officer in enforcing this section, or refusing to produce evidence of inoculation for any dog in his possession, or who removes a tag from a dog for purposes of destroying or concealing its identity, is guilty of a petty offense for a first or second offense and shall be fined as provided in section 1-4-1 of this Code, and for a third and subsequent offense, is guilty of a Class C misdemeanor. Each day a person fails to comply constitutes a separate offense. Each State's Attorney to whom the Administrator reports any violation of this section shall cause appropriate proceedings to be instituted in the proper courts without delay and to be prosecuted in the manner provided by law. (Ord. 2011-6, 8-9-2011, eff. 9-1-2011)