Calaveras County Municipal Code Ch. 6.14 Dog Licenses

Footnotes:

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State Law reference— For statutory provisions on the licensing and regulation of dogs by counties, see Gov. Code § 38792 and Food and Agriculture Code § 30651 et seq.; for provisions on rabies control, see Health and Safety Code § 121.575 et seq.

The director shall maintain and carry out a system for the issuance, renewal, and recording of dog licenses in accordance with this title. Dog licenses are issued for a period of one, two, or three years and renewed on the anniversary date of the rabies vaccination at the end of the one, two, or three-year licensing period. License tags are issued for the life of the dog except that duplicate tags may be issued to replace lost, worn, or damaged tags. License tags shall be of durable material, bear the stamped words "Calaveras County," and a unique number.

Licensing fees may be adopted and increased by the board of supervisors pursuant to Food and Agricultural Code 30804.

(Ord. 2641 (part), 2001).

(Ord. No. 2947, § 1, 5-13-2008; Ord. No. 3009, § 1, 5-22-2012)

Editor's note— Ord. No. 2947, § 1, adopted May 13, 2008, changed the title of Section 6.14.010 from dog license to dog licensing.

A. Every person owning or having custody of any dog four months of age or older shall procure a county dog license for the dog. Such license shall be procured within thirty days after the date on which it becomes due. The following are exceptions to the requirement to license:

1. Dogs maintained in a licensed kennel, provided the dog is owned by the owner or operator of the kennel;

2. Dogs used in police work by a law enforcement official, provided the dog is registered with the director;

3. Service dogs as defined under federal and state law, or being trained for such use which shall be issued a special tag in accordance with Section 30850 and described in Section 30852 of the Food and Agriculture Code.

B. No dog shall be licensed without proof of approved rabies vaccination. No license may expire later than the expiration date of the rabies vaccination. An owner may purchase a license upon showing proof of a valid rabies vaccination and, upon payment of the fee established by resolution of the board.

C. Owners of dogs establishing residency in Calaveras County will be required to procure a Calaveras County dog license within thirty days of establishing that residency. If the dog(s) are currently licensed and currently vaccinated for rabies in the previous county of residence, with proof of said vaccination and licensing, the director may honor that licensing until the next anniversary date of the rabies vaccination, at which time the owner will be required to procure a Calaveras County dog license.

D. First violation of this section is an infraction. If the dog owner does not license the dog within thirty days after the first conviction of this section, the dog owner is in violation of this section and guilty of a misdemeanor or an infraction.

(Ord. 2641 (part), 2001).

(Ord. No. 3009, § 1, 5-22-2012)

Each dog required to be licensed shall, at all times, wear the current license tag assigned to that dog. Lost license tags may be replaced by applying for a duplicate tag from the director.

(Ord. 2641 (part), 2001).

A. Licenses not purchased or renewed within thirty days after expiration, or the date on which they become due, shall be considered delinquent and a late fee, as determined by resolution of the board, shall be added to the cost of the new license. If the license for a single dog is delinquent for two or more years, the back license fees will apply to bring that license current. With proof of transfer of ownership, the new owner of a delinquent dog will not be held liable for the past license fees or delinquent fees.

B. At the director's discretion, the director may hold an amnesty period, not exceeding sixty days, every three or five years from the date of the last amnesty period to encourage Calaveras County citizens to license their dogs who might otherwise not do so due to the penalties. During the amnesty period, licensing can be brought current without incurring the additional fees or the late fee described in subsection A of this section.

(Ord. 2641 (part), 2001).

(Ord. No. 3009, § 1, 5-22-2012)

Upon the transfer of ownership of any licensed dog, the license may be transferred to the new owner provided that the Director is notified in writing within fifteen days of such transfer of ownership and the name and address of the new owner is provided.

(Ord. 2641 (part), 2001).

A. It shall be unlawful for any person to own, keep, harbor or possess within the county any animal of the family Canidae capable of transmitting the rabies virus unless such animal can be immunized with a rabies vaccine approved by the State Department of Health Services, except that wild animals may be kept with a valid permit issued by the Department of Fish and Game at an approved facility. This exception shall not apply to hybrids of such species.

B. All animals kept in accordance with this section shall comply with the provisions of the latest version of Manual No. 671 and all subsequent versions issued by the California Department of Fish and Game, which is adopted and incorporated herein by reference. Such animals shall not be sold, offered for sale, adopted or given away except to another properly licensed facility.

C. The director may enforce all provisions of said manual relating to Humane Care and Treatment of Wild Animals and Minimum Facility and Caging Standards for Wild Animals Housed at Permanent Facilities which for the purposes of this section shall include rescue facilities.

(Ord. 2641 (part), 2001).

Every person owning or harboring a dog four months of age or older, for fifteen days or more, shall have such a dog vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian with a vaccine approved by the California Department of Health, unless such dog is currently vaccinated. By obtaining an anti-rabies deferment from a licensed veterinarian, upon approval of the health officer, dogs that are ill may be given temporary deferment from rabies vaccination. Old age of the dog, however, shall not be a basis for such deferment. Such a deferred dog shall be vaccinated within fifteen days from the conclusion of the deferment period.

(Ord. 2641 (part), 2001).

No person who owns or harbors any dog shall fail or refuse to exhibit his copy of the rabies vaccination form, anti-rabies inoculation deferment form or health certificate upon demand by any person charged with the enforcement of this title.

(Ord. 2641 (part), 2001).

A. Any person who performs any rabies vaccination on any dog, whether as a clinic authorized by the director or as a licensed veterinarian shall report such vaccination, the name and address of the owner of such animal, and the date of such vaccination to the director. Such reports shall be made in writing and filed with the director by the fifteenth day of each month for all vaccinations administered during the preceding month.

B. It shall also be the duty of any licensed veterinarian practicing veterinary medicine in the county to report the name and address of the owner of any dog examined or treated by said veterinarian for any other reason to the director in the same manner as provided in subsection a of this section.

C. This section shall become inoperative at such time as the county is no longer declared a rabies endemic area by the California Department of Health Services.

(Ord. 2641 (part), 2001).