California City Municipal Code Art. 2 Licenses

This Article describes the requirements for animal licenses.

Every person owning or maintaining any dog in the City, except dogs under the age of four (4) months shall obtain a license and pay to the license collector an annual license fee established by the City Council by resolution. The term of the license shall coincide with the period for which the Certificate of Vaccination for rabies immunization is valid. The annual fees for the period of the license shall be paid in advance upon issuance of the license. The City Clerk is designated as the license collector.

( Ord. No. 17-758, § 1, 12-12-2017 )

Notwithstanding any other provision of this Chapter, no license fee shall be required for a seeing eye dog owned by, or in the possession of, a person with impaired vision or canine use for police patrol.

A penalty fee established by the Council by resolution is authorized if the license for a dog is not obtained within thirty (30) calendar days after the due date for the purchase of such license.

The license fee shall be due and payable on July 1 of each year, or as soon thereafter as a dog subject thereto is brought into the City, or whenever a dog exempted by reason of being less than four (4) months of age reaches the age of four (4) months. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the license is issued for a period longer than a year, as provided in Section 6-202 herein, the annual license fees for the license period will be paid in advance upon issuance of the license. The license fee shall be charged against, and be payable by, the owner or the person having the care, custody, and control of such dog or who has in possession or harbors such dog.

( Ord. No. 17-758, § 2, 12-12-2017 )

Upon the exhibition of the proper certificate of vaccination or the proper certificate or exemption from vaccination and the payment of the license fee, there shall be delivered to the person making such payment, a metal tag, with the number and year stamped or cut thereon, which dog tag shall be securely fastened to a collar or harness which shall be worn at all times by the dog for which the tag was issued. If the dog is exempted from vaccination as provided in this Article, the dog tag shall have a distinguishing mark as evidence of such fact. The dog tag while attached to the dog's collar or harness shall be prima facie evidence that the dog for which the tag was issued has been licensed during the fiscal year for which such tag was issued and has vaccinated or is exempt from the requirement of vaccination.

Whenever a dog tag issued for the current fiscal year has been lost, taken, or stolen by persons unknown to the owner or person having the care, custody, or control of the dog for which the dog tag was issued, such owner or person having such care, custody, or control of such dog, upon the payment of the fee established by the Council by resolution and the exhibition of the certificate of vaccination or exemption from vaccination of such dog, and on making and subscribing to an affidavit of such loss of such tag, may receive from the License Collector a duplicate tag for the remaining portion of the fiscal year for which the original dog tag was issued.

It shall be unlawful for a person owning, harboring, or having the care, custody, or possession of any dog to keep or maintain such dog in the City unless such dog has been vaccinated as provided in this Article. Except dogs under the age of 4 months fastened securely by chain, rope, or leash or confined within the private property of their owners, and except dogs exempted from the requirements of vaccination by reason of the likelihood of serious injury as set forth in this Article.

The License Collector shall not license a dog until the owner presents an official vaccination certificate attesting to adequate rabies immunization, as determined by the State Department of Health for the entire licensing period, or certificate from a licensed veterinarian issued within the preceding sixty (60) days stating that in his opinion the rabies vaccine would be likely to seriously injure the dog. A dog so excepted from rabies vaccination shall be restricted to the enclosed yard of the owner or person in possession of the dog except when such dog is held upon a chain, rope or leash.

The vaccination required by this Article shall be performed by a duly qualified and licensed physician or veterinarian, referred to in this Article as the "vaccinator." The vaccinator shall issue a certificate of vaccination to the owner or person in possession of such dog.