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Reynoldsburg Overview
Reynoldsburg Code of Ordinances
Reynoldsburg, Ohio Code of Ordinances
Adopting Ordinance
ROSTER OF OFFICIALS
TABLES OF SPECIAL ORDINANCES
COMPARATIVE SECTION TABLE
REYNOLDSBURG CHARTER
PART ONE - ADMINISTRATIVE CODE
PART THREE - TRAFFIC CODE
PART FIVE - GENERAL OFFENSES CODE
CHAPTER 501 General Provisions and Penalty
CHAPTER 503 Unlawful Discriminatory Practices
CHAPTER 505 Animals and Fowl
CHAPTER 507 Civil Emergencies
CHAPTER 509 Disorderly Conduct and Peace Disturbance
CHAPTER 511 Fireworks
CHAPTER 513 Drug Abuse Control
CHAPTER 517 Gambling
CHAPTER 521 Health, Safety and Sanitation
CHAPTER 525 Law Enforcement and Public Office
CHAPTER 529 Liquor Control
CHAPTER 533 Obscenity and Sex Offenses
CHAPTER 537 Offenses Against Persons
CHAPTER 541 Property Offenses
CHAPTER 543 Trees and Noxious Vegetation
CHAPTER 545 Theft and Fraud
CHAPTER 549 Weapons and Explosives
PART SEVEN - BUSINESS REGULATION CODE
PART NINE - STREETS, UTILITIES AND PUBLIC SERVICES CODE
PART ELEVEN - PLANNING AND ZONING CODE
PART THIRTEEN - BUILDING CODE
PART FIFTEEN - FIRE PREVENTION CODE
PART SEVENTEEN - NUISANCE AND PROPERTY MAINTENANCE CODE
CHAPTER 505
Animals and Fowl
505.01   Definitions.
505.02   Permitted and prohibited animals.
505.03   Animals running at large.
505.05   Impounding and disposition; records.
505.07   Annual registration of dogs; tags required.
505.09   Abandoned animals.
505.11   Killing, injuring, poisoning or cruelty to animals.
505.13   Tethering animals.
505.15   Cruelty to animals; cruelty to companion animals. (Repealed)
505.17   Nuisance conditions prohibited.
505.19   Barking or howling dog or other animal.
505.21   Health risk animals.
505.23   Animal bites; reports and quarantine.
505.25   Hunting prohibited.
505.27   Coloring rabbits or baby poultry; sale or display of poultry.
505.29   Riding animal on sidewalk prohibited.
505.31   Marketing wild or exotic animals.
505.33   Keeping wild or exotic animals.
505.35   Control and harboring of vicious or dangerous dogs and other vicious or dangerous animals.
505.37   Dangerous dogs and other animals; permit required; fee; impounding.
505.39   Report of escape of exotic or dangerous animal.
505.40   Interference with police dog or an assistance dog.
505.99   Penalty.
   CROSS REFERENCES
   See sectional histories for similar State law
   Owner or keeper liable for damages - see Ohio R.C. 951.10
   Dog registration - see Ohio R.C. 955.01
   Animal Control Officer - see ADM. 149.01
   Discharging firearms prohibited - see GEN. OFF. 549.08
505.01 DEFINITIONS.
   As used in this chapter certain words are defined as follows, unless the context otherwise requires:
   (a)   "Animal" means any live, vertebrate creature, domestic or wild.
   (b)   "Dangerous dog" means a dog that, without provocation, and subject to division (b)(5) of this section, has done any of the following:
      (1)   Has chased in an apparent attitude of attack or has attempted to bite or otherwise endanger any person while that dog or other animal is off the premises of its owner, keeper or harborer and not under the reasonable control of its owner, keeper, harborer or some other reasonable person.
      (2)   Caused injury, other than killing or serious injury, to any person;
      (3)   Killed another dog;
      (4)   Been the subject of a third or subsequent violation of Section 505.03.
      (5)   "Dangerous dog" does not include a police dog that has caused injury, other than killing or serious injury, to any person or has killed another dog while the police dog is being used to assist one (1) or more law enforcement officers in the performance of their official duties.
   (c)   "Domesticated animal" means any animal which is accepted by the general public as tamable and bred as a tamed animal for the purposes of man. These include, but are not limited to, dogs, house cats, gerbils, and guinea pigs.
   (d)   "Exotic animal" shall have the same meaning as "dangerous wild animal" as defined in R.C. Chapter 935.
   (e)   "Hybrid" means the cross breeding of two (2) or more species of animals that would not normally be bred together, including but not limited to, wolf-dog, coyote-dog, ocelot-house cat.
   (f)   "Own, keep or harbor" means to have legal title, custody or control over any animal.
   (g)   "Owner" means any person, firm, association, or corporation owning or having a proprietary interest in an animal.
   (h)   "Person" means any natural person, association, partnership, organization, or corporation.
   (i)   "Police dog" means a dog that has been trained, and may be used, to assist one (1) or more law enforcement officers in the performance of their official duties.
   (j)   "Serious injury" means any of the following:
      (1)   Any physical harm that carries a substantial risk of death;
      (2)   Any physical harm that involves a permanent incapacity, whether partial or total, or a temporary, substantial incapacity;
      (3)   Any physical harm that involves a permanent disfigurement or a temporary, serious disfigurement;
      (4)   Any physical harm that involves acute pain of a duration that results in substantial suffering or any degree of prolonged or intractable pain.
   (k)   "Vicious dog" means a dog that, without provocation and subject to division (k)(l) of this section, has killed or caused serious injury to any person.
      (1)   "Vicious dog" does not include either of the following:
         A.   A police dog that has killed or caused serious injury to any person while the police dog is being used to assist one (1) or more law enforcement officers in the performance of their official duties;
         B.   A dog that has killed or caused serious injury to any person while that person was committing or attempting to commit a trespass or other criminal offense on the property of the owner, keeper or harborer of the dog.
   (l)   "Wild animal" means any non-domesticated animal which generally lives in its original natural state, and is not normally domesticated, and/or falls under the jurisdiction of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.
   (m)   "Without provocation" means that a dog or other animal was not teased, tormented or abused by a person, or that the dog or other animal was not coming to the aid or the defense of a person who was not engaged in illegal or criminal activity and who was not using the dog or other animal as a means of carrying out such activity.
(Ord. 76-96. Passed 6-10-96; Ord. 77-01. Passed 6-25-01; Ord. 72-03. Passed 9-8-03; Ord. 25-18. Passed 2-26-18; Ord. 09-2020. Passed 1-27-20.)
505.02 PERMITTED AND PROHIBITED ANIMALS.
   (a)   Animals which may be owned or harbored within the municipality are: pure domestic cats, pure domestic dogs (not hybrid), domestic rabbits, guinea pigs, chinchillas, mice, hamsters, gerbils, parrot-like birds, non-poisonous fish, non-poisonous reptiles including snakes under five (5) feet in length, hedge hogs, and ferrets.
   (b)   No person shall own or harbor any type of farm animals within the municipality.
   (c)   No person shall own or harbor any wild or exotic animal or animals, as defined in Section 505.01(d) and (n), within the municipality unless otherwise permitted under Ohio law.
   (d)   No person shall market in any form, wholesale or retail, wild or exotic animals, as defined in Section 505.01(d) and (n), within the municipality.
   (e)   Whoever violates any of these sections is guilty of a misdemeanor of the second degree. Each day such section is violated shall constitute a separate offense.
(Ord. 121-19. Passed 10-28-19.)
505.03 ANIMALS RUNNING AT LARGE.
   (a)   No person being the owner, as defined in Section 501.01(g), of an animal or animals shall permit them to run or traverse at large upon any public place, upon any unenclosed lands, or upon the premises of another without the consent of the owner of such property within the Municipality.
   (b)   A dog shall not be considered to be running at large if under the reasonable control of some person.
   (c)   The running at large of any such animal in or upon any of the places mentioned in this section is prima-facie evidence that it is running or traversing at large in violation of this section.
   (d)   No owner of any dog shall permit the animal to enter upon any property that is not of his owner, when it is not securely leashed. The leash securing the animal shall not be longer than six (6) feet in length. The leash shall be controlled by a person that is physically capable of preventing the animal from entering private property and/or making physical contact with another animal or person, so long as such contact is not initiated by another animal or person.
   (e)   An animal may be confined by an underground fence or any similar device. This is defined as a buried wire, which gives a slight electrical charge when activated by a special collar worn by the animal which is to be confined. Such underground fence shall not allow the animal to move closer than ten (10) feet from the sidewalk or property line. This section shall not apply to any owner, who at the time of the passage of this section, has in place a nonconforming underground fence.
   (f)   Whoever violates this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor. If, within one (1) year of the offense, the offender previously has been convicted of violating this section, the offender is guilty of a misdemeanor in the fourth degree, and if the offender has two (2) or more violations of this section within one (1) year, the offender is guilty of a misdemeanor in the third degree.
(Ord. 76-96. Passed 6-10-96; Ord. 72-03. Passed 9-8-03; Ord. 48-13. Passed 7-1-13; Ord. 107-19. Passed 9-23-19.)
505.05 IMPOUNDING AND DISPOSITION; RECORDS.
   (a)   A police officer or animal warden may impound every animal or dog within the Municipality found in violation of Section 505.03. Any dog or animal impounded shall not be released except upon the payment of reasonable expenses for its taking and keeping. Any dog or animal not redeemed within three (3) days of the time it is seized or impounded may be sold or otherwise disposed of as provided by R.C. § 955.16.
   (b)   Impounded Dog.
      (1)   If an impounded dog is not wearing a valid registration tag, the dog shall forthwith be turned over to an officer charged by law with the custody and disposal of such dogs.
      (2)   If feasible, the dog should be checked for identification by means of a microchip.
      (3)   If the dog is wearing a valid registration tag or the identity of the owner, keeper, or harborer is otherwise established, notice shall immediately be given to such owner, keeper, or harborer that the dog has been impounded. Notice may be by telephone or by ordinary mail to the last known address of such owner, keeper, or harborer.
      (4)   A record of all dogs impounded, the disposition of the same, the owner's name and address, if known, and a statement of any costs or receipts involving such dog shall be kept.
(Ord. 76-96. Passed 6-10-96; Ord. 72-03. Passed 9-8-03; Ord. 107-19. Passed 9-23-19.)
505.07 ANNUAL REGISTRATION OF DOGS; TAGS REQUIRED.
   (a)   Except for guide dogs registered under Ohio R.C. 955.011 and dogs kept by an institution or organization for teaching and research purposes under Ohio R.C. 955.16, no person within the Municipality shall own, keep or harbor a dog more than three months of age without annually registering the dog with the County Auditor. Any dog without a valid registration tag attached to said dog shall be subject to impoundment and disposition as provided by Ohio R.C. 955.16.
   (b)   Whoever violates this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor.
(Ord. 76-96. Passed 6-10-96; Ord. 72-03. Passed 9-8-03.)
505.09 ABANDONED ANIMALS.
   (a)   No owner or keeper of a dog, cat, or other domestic animal shall abandon the animal.
(ORC 959.01)
   (b)   (1)   When, in order to protect any animal from neglect, it is necessary to take possession of it, any person may do so. When an animal is impounded or confined, and continues without necessary food, water, or proper attention for more than 15 successive hours, any person may, as often as is necessary, enter any place in which the animal is impounded or confined and supply it with necessary food, water, and attention, so long as it remains there, or, if necessary, or convenient, he may remove such animal; and he shall not be liable to an action for such entry. In all cases the owner or custodian of such animal, if known to such person, immediately shall be notified by him of such action. If the owner or custodian is unknown to such person, and cannot with reasonable effort be ascertained by him, such animal shall be considered an estray and dealt with as such.
      (2)   The necessary expenses for food and attention given to an animal under this division may be collected from the owner of such animal, and the animal shall not be exempt from levy and sale upon execution issued upon a judgment for such expenses.
(ORC 1717.13)
   (c)   Whoever violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree.
(Ord. 76-96. Passed 6-10-96; Ord. 72-03. Passed 9-8-03.)
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