(a) Effective December 1, 2014, every person who owns, keeps or harbors a dog more than three months of age shall file with the County, on or after the first day of the applicable December, but before the thirty-first day of the applicable January, or when the dog attains the age of three months after January 31 of the applicable year, or is brought into the County from outside the State of Ohio after January 31 of the applicable year, an application for registration and license for a period of one year or three years or an application for a permanent registration. A licensing fee of eighteen dollars ($18.00) for a one year registration, fifty-four dollars ($54.00) for a three year registration or one hundred eighty dollars ($180.00) for a permanent registration for each dog shall accompany the application. The one-year registration fee for any dog becoming more than three months of age after the first day of July of any year shall be nine dollars ($9.00), the three year registration shall be forty-four and 82/100 dollars ($44.82), but the permanent registrations shall not be reduced in said circumstance. No fee, or part thereof, paid for a one year, three year or permanent registration is refundable or reimbursable to the owner, keeper or harborer of a dog that paid said fee, provided, however, that if a person who adopted a dog pursuant to Section 505.58 of these Codified Ordinances returns the dog to the County Animal Control facility within 30 days of the adoption, said registration fee shall be reimbursed in full to that person.
(1) Instead of obtaining an annual registration and license under Section 505.52, a law enforcement agency owning, keeping, or harboring a law enforcement canine may obtain an annual registration for the dog as a law enforcement canine. The law enforcement canine registration shall be submitted to the County Auditor of the County in which the central office of the law enforcement agency that owns, keeps or harbors the dog is located. No fee is required for issuance of a law enforcement canine registration.
(b) Kennel fees in the amount of eighty dollars ($80.00) per kennel shall be paid prior to January 31 for the year commencing January 1. Payment of the kennel license fee shall entitle the licensee to five (5) individual dog license tags. Any additional dog license tags may be issued to a kennel licensee upon payment of additional fee of eight dollars ($8.00) per license tag.
(c) All fees and penalties shall accompany the registration and license application. The obligation to license any dog shall exist during the entire calendar year, and the County Fiscal Officer shall make available to the public throughout the entire calendar year the one year, three year, permanent and kennel registration and license, subject to any appropriate late penalty provided for in this Section.
(d) If application for a dog license has not been made when required by January 31, then an eighteen dollar ($18.00) penalty shall be paid in addition to the eighteen dollar ($18.00) license fee, regardless of whether the late application is for a one year, three year or permanent license. If application for a kennel license has not been made by January 31, then an eighty dollar ($80.00) penalty shall be paid in addition to the eighty dollar ($80.00) kennel license fee. Pursuant to Executive Order, in conjunction with any late-penalty amnesty event, the County Executive may order the waiver of the late-penalty on the condition that the owner of a dog or dogs purchases a license for that dog or dogs during the time of the event.
(e) Definitions: As used in this section, certain terms are defined as follows:
(1) “Dog” means a dog as defined in Ohio R.C. Chapter 955.
(2) “Cat” means a domesticated cat three (3) months of age or older.
(3) “Kennel” means a kennel as defined in Ohio R.C. Chapter 955.
(4) “Registration tag” means the metal tag issued by the County Fiscal Officer evidencing a registered dog.
(5) “Rabies tag” means the metal tag issued with a rabies certificate which indicates proof of a valid rabies vaccination.
(6) “Transfer of ownership certificate” means the form which may be obtained from the County Fiscal Officer which contains the registration number of the dog, the name of the seller, and a brief description of the dog.
(7) “Puppy” means a young dog under the age of three (3) months.
(8) “Kitten” means a young cat under the age of three (3) months.
(9) “Research dogs” means dogs that are used for research in accordance with Ohio R.C. Chapter 955.
(10) “Other animals” means gerbils, raccoons, opossums, hamsters and other animals at the discretion of the poundkeeper. Goats, cows, horses, etc. that would be in the opinion of the poundkeeper, physically impossible for the County facility to handle will not be handled by the County.
(11) “Providing care for puppies and kittens” means the cleaning, feeding, housing, handling and euthanasia of puppies and kittens.
(12) “Seizing and delivering a dog or cat” means the taking or accepting of dogs or cats, the transport of such dogs or cats to the dog pound, and/or the impounding of such dogs or cats.
(13) “Redeeming a dog or cat” means the claiming and withdrawal of a dog or cat by the owner, keeper or harborer upon payment to the Animal Warden or poundkeeper of all costs assessed against such animal.
(14) “Law enforcement canine” means a dog regularly utilized by a law enforcement agency for general law enforcement purposes, tracking, or detecting the presence of a controlled substance or explosive.
(f) Service Fees. Service fees are hereby established to be paid as follows:
(1) Five dollars ($5.00) per animal for issuance of a duplicate registration tag, to be paid when issued. Upon proper proof of loss, a duplicate certificate and tag shall be issued for a dog registered as a law enforcement canine and no fee shall be required.
(2) Three dollars ($3.00) per animal for issuance of a duplicate rabies tag, to be paid when issued.
(3) Five dollars ($5.00) per dog for issuance of a transfer of dog ownership certificate, to be paid when issued.
(4) Twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per dog for any dog three months of age or older released or surrendered to the County Animal Warden for euthanasia by the County Animal Warden, or released or surrendered for future adoption by the County Animal Warden from the County's Animal Control facility, regardless of whether said dog is owned by the person releasing or surrendering said dog to the County Animal Warden or was otherwise a stray recovered by said person prior to said release or surrender. Twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per cat for any cat released or surrendered to the County Animal Warden for euthanasia by the County Animal Warden, or released or surrendered for future adoption by the County Animal Warden from the County's Animal Control facility, regardless of whether said cat is owned by the person releasing or surrendering said cat to the County Animal Warden or was otherwise a stray recovered by said person prior to said release or surrender. Said fee shall be paid at the time of release or surrender to the County Animal Warden. This provision shall not apply to any municipality releasing or surrendering a dog or cat to the County Animal Warden, and the terms of any agreement between the County and that municipality shall govern the cost of said release or surrender. the euthanasia by the County Dog Warden of any dog three months of age or older, and twenty dollars ($20.00) per cat for any euthanasia by the County Dog Warden of any cat three months of age or older, to be paid when requesting such service.
(5) Twelve dollars ($12.00) per puppy for any puppy released or surrendered to the County Animal Warden for euthanasia by the County Animal Warden, or released or surrendered for future adoption by the County Animal Warden from the County's Animal Control facility, regardless of whether said puppy is owned by the person releasing or surrendering said puppy to the County Animal Warden or was otherwise a stray recovered by said person prior to said release or surrender. Twelve dollars ($12.00) per kitten for any kitten released or surrendered to the County Animal Warden for euthanasia by the County Animal Warden, or released or surrendered for future adoption by the County Animal Warden from the County's Animal Control facility, regardless of whether said kitten is owned by the person releasing or surrendering said kitten to the County Animal Warden or was otherwise a stray recovered by said person prior to said release or surrender. Said fee shall be paid at the time of release or surrender to the County Animal Warden. This provision shall not apply to any municipality releasing or surrendering a puppy or kitten to the County Animal Warden, and the terms of any agreement between the County and that municipality shall govern the cost of said release or surrender.
(6) Twenty ($20.00) per animal for the euthanasia by the County Animal Warden of any other animal, to be paid when requesting such service.
(7) Twelve dollars ($12.00) per dog/puppy or cat/kitten for redeeming a dog/puppy or cat/kitten which has been seized and delivered to the Animal Control Facility, to be paid by the current owner, or new owner at the time of sale of such dog/puppy or cat/kitten.
(8) Ten dollars ($10.00) per dog/puppy or cat/kitten per day for housing and feeding a dog/puppy or cat/kitten redeemed and sold to the public for an aggregate fee of thirty dollars ($30.00) per dog/puppy or cat/kitten.
(9) Two dollars ($2.00) for the serving or posting of notice to the owner of a dog/puppy or cat/kitten which has been seized and delivered to the Animal Control Facility.
(g) The County Executive is hereby authorized to revise Form No. AC-04, “Owner Release of Animal” to be consistent with this Section.
(h) An animal shelter that keeps or harbors a dog more than three months of age is exempt from paying any fees imposed under Subsections 505.56(a) or (d) if it is a nonprofit organization that is exempt from federal income taxation under Subsection 501(a) and described in Subsection 501(c)(3) of the “Internal Revenue Code of 1986", 100 Stat. 285.26.1.”
(Ord. 2008-478. Adopted 12-1-08; Ord. 2012-285. Adopted 8-27-12; Ord. 2013-355. Adopted 8-12-13; Ord. 2013-529. Adopted 12-10-13; Ord. 2014-380. Adopted 9-8-14; Ord. 2017-447. Adopted 10-30-17.)