SYNOPSIS OF NEW ANIMAL CONTROL ORDINANCES

The newly proposed animal control ordinances approved by the City Council in January, have officially taken effect as of Monday, February 9, 2004.  We would like to once again review these briefly for the public so they may be well informed prior to any enforcement action being taken against their pets.  I would like to briefly cover those areas which will have the most impact for the majority of the public. 

One of the first changes they will see is the enforcement response to cat related issues.  In the past, officers were restricted by ordinance to handle the majority of cat related issues to those involving property damage, health related problems or as a public safety measure.  The new ordinance however, will now allow animal control officers to respond to more general complaints from citizens regarding issues they may have concerning cats.  For this reason it is important to highlight the new ordinances as they relate to cats. 

The new ordinances require owners of animals (which now includes cats) to wear at all times their issued rabies tag as well as requiring leashes for the animals when they are off the premises of the owners.  When the animal is not physically restrained or leashed when off the premises of its owners or custodian it will be deemed running at large and subject to impoundment as well as a fine for $75 for the first offense within a 24 month period.  The fine is increased by $25 for each subsequent offense within a 24 month period.  This may be a significant issue for those owners of cats who allow their pets to roam freely without a leash or the rabies vaccination tag.  It will be very difficult for the Animal Control Officers to identify the owner of a cat that has no rabies tag.   It is recommended that the cat be micro chipped as another form of identification for the animal.

The impoundment fees have also been changed in the new ordinances.  The fee has decreased from $15.00 for a first time offense to $5.00 for those animals that are spayed or neutered or $20.00 for those animals that are unaltered which used to be $30.00.  However, a second offense will be increased to $20.00.  The impoundment fees will then be increased by twice the amount of the impound fee last assessed for each instance in any twelve month period that the same animal is impounded for further violations.  The boarding fee for animals impounded has increased from $7.00 a day to $10.00 a day.

Another significant change is the period for reclaiming an animal from the City of Quincy Shelter.  The reclaim period is now 4 days for an animal whose owner is known or that is tagged with a rabies tag and/or nametag.  The animal will only be held for 3 days if the animals owner is unknown or is untagged.  Thus, it is very important for cats who do not have any type of identification to contact our shelter as soon as possible if the animal appears to be lost or missing. 

The last major ordinance that has gone into effect reflects the permit process for restricted animals such as chimpanzees, tigers, and reptiles.  The majority of questions we receive in this area are in respect to the reptiles.   Specifically the ordinance addresses reptiles which are poisonous or life- threatening including indigenous venomous snakes.  A life threatening reptile shall include without limitation any member of the crocodilian family and any constricting snake six (6) feet or greater in length.   An important exemption is given to individuals offering educational programs to the public on a regular basis.  

A complete list of the new ordinances are available in their entirety from the City Clerks office upon request.

 

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