(A) Every owner of a dog, cat or ferret four months of age or older, shall each year cause the dog, cat or ferret to be inoculated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian. Every dog, cat, or ferret shall have a second rabies vaccination within one year of the first. Terms of subsequent vaccine administration and duration of immunity must be in compliance with USDA licenses of vaccines used. This division does not apply to feral cats; however, if a feral cat is presented to a licensed veterinarian for sterilization, the feral cat shall be inoculated against rabies, unless the person presenting the feral cat for care provides an inoculation certificate showing that the feral cat has been inoculated against rabies, and the cost of the inoculation shall be paid by the person presenting the feral cat to a licensed veterinarian for care.
(B) If a licensed veterinarian determines in writing that a rabies inoculation would compromise an animal's health, then the animal shall be exempt from the rabies inoculation requirement, however, the owner is still responsible for the tag fees.
(C) If a bite occurs from an exempt animal, the exempt animal shall be treated as an unvaccinated animal. If the animal is exempt, the animal shall be re-examined by a licensed veterinarian on no less than an annual basis and be vaccinated against rabies as soon as the animal's health permits.
(1980 Code, § 90.08)
(D) A veterinarian immunizing a dog, cat, or ferret against rabies shall provide the Administrator of the county in which the dog, cat, or ferret resides with a certificate of immunization. Evidence of such rabies inoculation shall be entered on a certificate the form of which shall be approved by the Board and which shall contain the microchip number of the dog, cat, or ferret if it has one and which shall be signed by the licensed veterinarian administering the vaccine. Veterinarians who inoculate a dog, cat or ferret for rabies shall procure from the County Animal Protection Services numbered tags, one to be issued with each inoculation certificate. A veterinarian who inoculates a feral cat shall issue an inoculation certificate to the person who presented the feral cat for veterinary care. Feral cats are not required to have a rabies tag. Only one dog, cat or ferret shall be included on each certificate.
(1980 Code, § 90.09)
(E) Every owner of a dog, cat or ferret four months of age or older shall provide the dog, cat or ferret with a collar or harness and attach thereto the official county rabies tag which shall be worn by the dog, cat or ferret at all times. Feral cats are exempt.
(1980 Code, § 90.11) (Res. 99-61, adopted 2-18-1999; Res. 06-122, adopted 3-16-2006)
(F) New residents from outside the county owning or keeping a dog, cat or ferret four months of age or older, shall register the dog, cat or ferret at the county animal control facility, within 30 days after establishing residence in the county. If not done, the pet owner may be issued citations for failure to comply.
(1) The fee for such tag set out in § 90.29.
(Ord. 24-19, passed 1-18-2024) Penalty, see § 90.99
Statutory reference:
Rabies inoculation, see 510 ILCS 5/8