(A) 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 (C) 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) Rabbits, cattle, horses, goats, sheep, chickens, ducks and geese may be kept on premises containing a minimum of three-fourths (3/4) acre of securely fenced, irrigated open space, exclusive of a home site, and containing at least one acre 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 on the original one acre parcel and per acre on each succeeding acre of contiguous site which is securely fenced and irrigated shall be as follows:
Cattle | 2 |
Chickens, ducks and/or geese | 10 |
Goats and/or sheep | 4 |
Horses or ponies | 2 |
Rabbits | 10 |
(b) Owners of property less than the minimum premises size may possess chickens, ducks, geese, and rabbits as outlined in subsection (A)3(a) above. Property owners will be required to file a domestic animal registration form with the Animal Control Officer within thirty (30) days of possession. It will be the property owner’s responsibility to keep the premises free from nuisance to the neighboring property owners or the general public.
(1) Owners shall file a domestic animal registration form within thirty (30) days of ownership, which will include a list of the species and number of animals kept on the property. The property may be subject to inspection by the Animal Control Officer prior to registration approval.
(2) Domestic animal registration forms will be kept on file for one year, and owners will be responsible to renew registration by January 31 every year after.
(3) 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 (A)3(a) above.
4. It shall be unlawful for any person to keep or maintain any pigs, hogs or roosters within the corporate limits of the city of Wendell.
(B) 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.
(C) 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 (A)1 and (A)2 of this section. Each household in a detached single-family dwelling shall keep no more than seven (7) animals permitted pursuant to subsections (A)1 and (A)2 of this section, but not more than three (3) of any species shall be allowed within such limitation; 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. (Ord. 512-2012, 5-17-2012; amd. Ord. 544-2022, 7- -2022)