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(a) The hunting of animals or fowl, including any game or wildlife, within the Municipality is prohibited with exceptions as set forth herein. No person shall hunt, kill or attempt to kill any animal or fowl, including any game or wildlife, by the use of firearms or any other means, except as follows:
(1) While hunting waterfowl with the proper license in the east, west or north breakwaters, the harbor or open waters of Lake Erie.
(2) A property owner operating under the authority of an Ohio Division of Wildlife damage control permit and in accordance with the rules and regulations established by the Chief of Police.
(3) A person acting in compliance with regulations set forth by the Ohio Division of Wildlife and rules and regulations established by the Chief of Police to remove animals deemed to be a nuisance. “Nuisance wild animal” means a wild animal that interferes with the use or enjoyment of property, is causing a threat to public safety, or may cause damage or harm to a structure, property, or person as defined by OAC 1501:31-1-02.
(b) This section does not apply to any land designated as a hunting preserve pursuant to Section 505.21.
(d) Whoever violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree.
(Ord. 70-24. Passed 5-6-24.)
(a) No person shall allow a dog, cat or any animal that is on a leash greater than six (6) feet long or unleashed to enter into public areas other than parking lots or sidewalks except as specifically provided in subsection (a)(1) or (a)(2) hereof.
(1) A dog operated by or being utilized by a governmental entity for a governmental purpose including but not limited to a dog in the service of a law enforcement agency and dogs in the service of managing wildlife including birds and waterfowl in public park areas; and
(2) A service animal to accompany any disabled persons or trainer of the service animal for those purposes and in these public areas mandated by the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and so long as the service animal is controlled as required by the ADA.
(b) The owner of a dog, cat, or any animal shall remove any feces from the property.
(c) Whoever violates this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor.
(Ord. 65-16. Passed 7-5-16.)
(a) No person shall dye or otherwise color any fowl or animals. No person shall display, sell, offer for sale, expose for sale or raffle or give away any fowl or animal which has been dyed or otherwise colored.
(b) Whoever violates this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor.
(Ord. 176-02. Passed 10-21-02.)
(a) No person shall keep or permit to be kept any wild animals within the Municipality.
(b) “Wild animal” means any animal other than domestic dogs and cats, which in wild state are carnivorous or which because of their nature or physical make-up, are capable of inflicting serious physical harm or death to human beings. Such animals include, but are not limited, to: bears, wolverines, lions tigers, poisonous snakes, constrictors. Also included are wild animals including but not limited to foxes, skunks, raccoons, opossums, weasels, ferrets, etc.
(c) If such wild animal has inflicted a bite wound on any person, such bite must be reported to the Health Commissioner within twenty-four hours. The animal inflicting such bite shall be impounded, as provided by Section 505.05 and the Health Commissioner shall destroy the animal and remove its head for proper testing to determine if such animal has rabies.
(d) Keeping of farm animals is prohibited within the City limits; horses are prohibited on the beach.
(e) "Farm Animal" shall mean any warm blooded animal normally raised on farms in the United States and used or intended for use as food or fiber. Such animals include but are not limited to: domestic species of cattle, sheep, swine, goats, chickens, roosters, llamas or horses.
(f) Whoever violates this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor.
(Ord. 176-02. Passed 10-21-02.)
(a) Any person having the custody, ownership, or control of any vicious dog as defined in Section 505.01, must register such dog with the City of Lorain Police Department on a form to be provided by the City. Said form shall require the following information: name, address and telephone number of the dog's owner; the address where such dog is harbored, if different from the owner's address; the dog's sex and color; rabies certificate and tag number (license) and other distinguishing physical characteristics of the dog, as well as proof of public liability insurance as required by the State for such registration.
(b) The registration required by subsection (a) hereof shall be made annually by the person so required and such registration shall be made each year not less than thirty days from the date of the initial registration. The fee for registration shall be fifty dollars ($50.00) per year, for each person required to register any dog irrespective of the number of dogs registered by such person.
(c) Whoever violates the provisions of this section is guilty of a first degree misdemeanor punishable by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000) or imprisonment of no more than six months, or both. Each day shall have constituted a separate offense.
(Ord. 176-02. Passed 10-21-02.)
(a) No person being an owner, harborer, or keeper of any animal, who is found to be in violation of Section 505.02(b) and (c) Confinement of Dogs; Vicious Dogs; Section 505.03 - Animals Running at Large; Section 505.04 - Leashes; Animal Feces; or Section 505.18 - Wild Animals Prohibited, and while in violation of any of these sections, the animal inflicts serious physical harm to any person, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the first degree. Violation of this Section 505.20 shall be in addition to any other provision of this chapter, and the penalty for violation of this section shall be imposed in addition to any penalty imposed for violation of any other section listed herein.
(b) “Serious physical harm”, as used in this section, shall have the same meaning as is used in Ohio R.C. 2901.01(A)(5), or as that section of the Ohio Revised Code may hereafter be amended.
(Ord. 176-02. Passed 10-21-02.)
(a) Provided such land satisfies the requirements set forth below, the owner or owners of land shall have the right to designate such land as a hunting preserve. To effect such designation, the owner or owners of such land shall file a designation with the Director of Public Service and Safety, on a form prescribed by the Director.
(b) A hunting preserve must be at least four hundred (400) acres in area in one continuous block of land. The boundaries of each hunting preserve shall be clearly defined by posting signs, at intervals of not less than one hundred (100) feet. Each such sign must be at least 10" x 14" and must clearly identify the land as a hunting preserve.
(c) Any boundaries of a hunting preserve located within the City of Lorain shall have constructed upon same a fence that is at least five (5) feet in height.
(d) No hunting or use of any weapon shall be permitted within six hundred (600) feet of any boundary of a hunting preserve.
(e) Hunting within a hunting preserve shall be by shotgun, bow and arrow, pistols, or primitive weapons only. No other weapon may be used for hunting. As used herein, “primitive weapons” means weapons that are single-shot, muzzleloading rifles, thirty-eight caliber or larger, or muzzleloading shotguns using single ball, or longbow and arrow, or a crossbow having a working safety and a stock more than twenty-five inches in length.
(f) This section does not authorize anyone to hunt within or use any weapon on any property without the permission of the owner.
(g) This section shall not be construed to permit the use of land in violation of Lorain’s Zoning Code. (Ord. 134-04. Passed 9-20-04.)
Not more than five domestic animals, excepting puppies, kittens, hamsters, gerbils, or other small pets that are caged or kept in aquariums, may be kept in any single-family dwelling, or in any separate suite in a two-family dwelling, multiple-family dwelling or apartment, within the City of Lorain, Ohio. “Dwelling” and “suite” as used in this section shall be defined identical to “residential dwelling” as used in Section 505.101 of this chapter.
(Ord. 115-17. Passed 10-16-17.)
(a) Trapping within the Municipality is unlawful with exceptions as set forth herein. No person shall trap any animal or fowl, including any game or wildlife, by the use of any trap unless a person is acting in compliance with regulations set forth by the Ohio Division of Wildlife (OAC Rule 1501:31-15-03) and rules and regulations established by the Chief of Police to remove nuisance wild animals. “Nuisance wild animal” means a wild animal that interferes with the use or enjoyment of property, is causing a threat to public safety, or may cause damage or harm to a structure, property, or person as defined by OAC 1501:31-1-02.
(b) Whoever violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.
(Ord. 70-24. Passed 5-6-24.)
(a) When either a blind, deaf or hearing impaired, or mobility impaired person, or a training of an assistance dog is accompanied by an assistance dog, the person or trainer, as applicable, is entitled to the full and equal accommodations, advantages, facilities, and privileges of all public conveyances, hotels, and lodging places, all places of public accommodation, amusement, or resort, and other places to which the general public is invited, and may take the dog into such conveyances and places, subject only to the conditions and limitations applicable to all persons not so accompanied, except that:
(1) The dog shall not occupy a seat in any public conveyance; and
(2) The dog shall be leashed while using the facilities of a common carrier.
(3) Any dog in training to become an assistance dog shall be covered by a liability insurance policy provided by the nonprofit special agency engaged in such work protecting members of the public against personal injury or property damage caused by the dog.
(b) No person shall deprive a blind, deaf or hearing impaired, or mobility impaired person, or a training of an assistance dog who is accompanied by an assistance dog, of any of the advantages, facilities or privileges provided in subsection (a) of this section, nor charge the person or training a fee or charge for the dog.
(ORC 955.43(A), (B))
(c) As used in this section:
(1) “Assistance dog” means a dog that has been trained by a nonprofit or for-profit special agency and that is one of the following:
A. A guide dog;
B. A hearing dog;
C. A service dog.
(2) “Blind” means either of the following:
A. Vision 20/20 or less in the better eye with proper correction;
B. Field defect in the better eye with proper correction that contracts the peripheral field so that the diameter of the visual field subtends an angle no greater than twenty degrees.
(3) “Guide dog” means a dog that has been trained or is in training to assist a blind person.
(4) “Hearing dog” means a dog that has been trained or is in training to assist a deaf or hearing-impaired person.
(5) “Institutions of education” means:
A. Any state university or college as defined in Ohio R.C. 3345.32;
B. Any private college or university that holds a certificate of authorization issued by the Ohio Board of Regents pursuant to Ohio R.C. Chapter 1713;
C. Any elementary or secondary school operated by a board of education;
D. Any chartered or nonchartered nonpublic elementary or secondary school; or
E. Any school issued a certificate of registration by the state Board of Career Colleges and Schools.
(6) “Person with a mobility impairment” means any person, regardless of age, who is subject to a physiological impairment regardless of its cause, nature or extent that renders the person unable to move about without the aid of crutches, a wheelchair, or any other form of support, or that limits the person’s functional ability to ambulate, climb, descend, sit, rise, or perform any related function. The phrase includes a person with a neurological or psychological disability that limits the person’s functional ability to ambulate, climb, descend, sit, rise or perform any related function. The phrase also includes a person with a seizure disorder and a person who is diagnosed with autism.
(7) “Service dog” means a dog that has been trained or is in training to assist a person with a mobility impairment.
(ORC 955.011(B), 955.43(C))
(d) Whoever violates any provision of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. (ORC 955.99(D))
(a) Whoever violates subsection (b) or (c) of Section 505.02 of the Lorain Codified Ordinances shall be fined not less than twenty-five dollars or more than one hundred dollars on a first offense, and on each subsequent offense shall be fined not less than seventy-five dollars or more than two hundred fifty dollars and may be imprisoned for not more than thirty days.
(b) In addition to the penalties prescribed in Section 505.99(a) of this section, if the offender is guilty of a violation of subsection (b) or (c) of Section 505.02 of the Lorain Codified Ordinances, the court may order the offender to personally supervise the dog that the offender owns, keeps or harbors, to cause that dog to complete dog obedience training, or to do both.
(c) If a violation of Section 505.02 involves a dangerous dog, whoever violates that division is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree on a first offense and of a misdemeanor of the third degree on each subsequent offense. Additionally, the court may order the offender to personally supervise the dangerous dog that the offender owns, keeps, or harbors, to cause that dog to complete dog obedience training, or to do both, and the court may order the offender to obtain liability insurance pursuant to division (E) of Section 955.22 of the Ohio Revised Code. The court, in the alternative, may order the dangerous dog to be humanely destroyed.
(d) If a violation of subsection (d) of Section 505.02 of the Lorain Codified Ordinances involves a vicious dog, whoever violates that division is guilty of one of the following:
(1) A misdemeanor of the first degree on a first offense. (See ORC 955.99(G)(2) for subsequent offenses). Additionally, the court may order the vicious dog to be humanely destroyed. Any person found guilty of violating Section 505.02 shall pay all expenses, including shelter, food, veterinary expenses for identification or certification of the breed of the animals or boarding and veterinary expenses necessitated by the seizure of any dog for the protection of the public, and such other expenses as may be required for the destruction of any such dog.
(2) A misdemeanor of the first degree if the dog causes injury, other than killing or serious injury, to any person (See ORC 955.99(G)(1) for felony offense designation if the dog kills or seriously injures a person).
(Ord. 176-02. Passed 10-21-02.)