A. Permitted Domestic Animals; Limitations: It shall be unlawful for any household to own, harbor or possess more domestic animals than authorized by this section or not in accordance with limitations and licensing requirements established by this chapter. The following domestic animals are allowed:
1. Dogs and cats, not exceeding the number limitations as set forth in subsection B of this section.
2. Rabbit, guinea pig, hamster, gerbil, frog, ferret, mouse, rat, snake or bird (except fowl, pigeons, chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys) kept for the sole purpose of an indoor family pet or for educational purposes at an educational institution. It shall be the duty of all persons owning or harboring such animals to keep and maintain such animals in a clean and sanitary condition.
3. a. Cattle, horses, goats and sheep, may be kept on premises containing a minimum of one acre of securely fenced, irrigated open space, exclusive of a homesite, and containing at least three (3) acres in total, maintained in compliance with this chapter. Said fenced area shall be irrigated during the growing season to sustain vegetation. The number of listed animals allowed per buildable lot securely fenced and irrigated shall be as follows:
Cattle - 2, or
Horses or ponies - 2, or
Goats and/or sheep - 4, or
Rabbits, chickens (except for roosters) and ducks may be kept on premises containing a minimum of a securely fenced, irrigated open space, exclusive of a homesite, and maintained in compliance with this chapter. Said fenced area shall be irrigated during the growing season to sustain vegetation. The number of listed animals allowed per buildable lot securely fenced and irrigated shall be as follows:
Rabbits - 10, or
Chickens - 10, or
Ducks - 10.
Any combination of these animals shall be limited to a maximum of ten (10) animals, but shall not exceed the maximum allowed for each category of animal.
Roosters, guinea hens, geese and peacocks are prohibited.
In addition to the above requirements, an enclosure that meets the following requirements must be provided for keeping fowl:
The enclosure (coop) must meet the zoning setbacks in effect at the time of the construction of the enclosure;
The size of the enclosure shall be a minimum of five (5) square feet per fowl; and
The entire enclosure must be surrounded by a fence, with a minimum of ten (10) square feet of fenced open space around the enclosure for each fowl.
b. Owners of property less than the minimum premises size, on which animals were kept at the time of passage date hereof, may continue keeping those animals or replacement animals, so long as the owner of the property registers with the city the number of animals kept at the time of passage date hereof and keeps the premises free from nuisance to the neighboring property owners or the public.
(1) The owner shall register with the city, within ninety (90) days of passage date hereof, a list of the kind and number of animals kept on the property at the time of the passage date hereof.
(2) If the city determines that the keeping of the animals is a nuisance, the city shall give to the owner of the property thirty (30) days' written notice to cure the nuisance. If the property owner does not cure the nuisance within the thirty (30) days, the property owner shall be required to bring the property into compliance with the limitations of subsection A3a of this section.
(3) It shall be the duty of all persons owning or harboring such animals to keep them in secure confinement to prevent them from roaming onto adjacent lands and to maintain such animals and the grounds upon, and facilities within, which they are housed, in a clean and sanitary condition.
B. Number Permitted: It shall be unlawful for any household in a multi-family dwelling housing unit to keep more than three (3) permitted animals as defined by subsections A1 and A2 of this section. Each household in a detached single-family dwelling shall keep no more than three (3) animals permitted pursuant to subsections A1 and A2 of this section, except that a litter of pups, kittens or other young animals may be kept for a period of time not exceeding five (5) months from birth. The restrictions of this subsection shall not apply to any commercial establishment where such animals are legally kept for breeding, sale, sporting purposes or boarding.
C. Kennels: Kennels shall be permitted only when allowed by the zoning ordinance of the city and shall comply with all applicable zoning restrictions and the requirements of section 5-1-14 of this chapter. (Ord. 197, 1-8-2013)