Fowler Municipal Code Art. 2 License and Registration of Dogs and Potbellied Pigs

(a) Every person owning, possessing, keeping, harboring or having custody of any dog over four (4) months old, and all Vietnamese potbellied pigs, shall obtain a City license for each dog and potbellied pig. Appropriate license fees shall be paid annually. The license fees shall be set forth in the City's fee schedule. Such license shall be obtained, and the fee therefore paid within thirty (30) days after the day upon which a dog is four (4) months old, within thirty (30) days after acquisition of a dog if over four (4) months old, within thirty (30) days after acquisition of a potbellied pig, or within thirty (30) days of moving into the City.

(b) Exemptions:

(1) Service Dog. Every person owning a service dog shall be exempt from the license fee payment requirement of this section provided the owner has exhibited a certificate that the dog has been vaccinated with the rabies vaccine. Every owner of such a dog, upon an application to the City Clerk, accompanied by a vaccination certificate as required by Sections 6-1.202 and 6-1.501 of this article, shall be issued a dog license for such dog without charge. As used in this subsection, "service dog" shall mean a guide dog, service dog, or signal dog as defined in California Civil Code Section 54.1.

(2) Government. Dogs owned and used by the County, municipal corporations, or other public agencies, including dogs used by law enforcement agencies in the performance of law enforcement activity, shall be licensed without fee provided the public agency has exhibited a certificate that the dog has been vaccinated with the rabies vaccine.

(3) Temporary. Dogs brought into the City for the purpose of participating in any dog show or whose owners are nonresidents or temporarily within the City need not be licensed.

(c) Application for dog licenses shall be made on forms approved by the City and shall include the following for each animal: the name and address of owner; address where the dog is kept; name, breed, age, sex, color and description of the animal; spay/neuter certificate unless a valid exception applies; and current rabies vaccination certificate issued by a licensed veterinarian that is valid for the entire term of the license being issued.

Application for potbellied pig licenses shall be made on forms approved by the City and shall include the following for each animal: proof of registration with a nationally recognized registry; proof that the pig has been spayed or neutered; and a current vaccination certificate issued by a licensed veterinarian that the pig has been vaccinated as directed by the City that is valid for the entire term of the license being issued.

(Ord. No. 2011-06, § 1, 11-1-2011)

(a) License Fees.

(1) Dog license fees, as set forth in the City's fee schedule, shall be due and payable on and after January 1 of each year. Any owner of a dog required to be licensed who fails to obtain and pay for a license for such dog until after March 31 of any year shall pay an additional fee for the license, as set forth in the City's fee schedule, as a penalty for delinquency. If March 31 falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, license fees may be paid without penalty on the first succeeding business day.

(2) With respect to dogs first brought into the City after March 1 and dogs which have not reached the age of four (4) months by March 1, no penalty shall be payable if the owner obtains and pays for a license within thirty (30) days after the dog is first brought into the City or reaches the age of four (4) months, as the case may be.

(3) A dog license issued before July 1 of any year shall be charged and paid for at the full annual rate and, when issued on or after July 1, at one-half the annual rate if no license fee shall have been due and payable for the dog prior to July 1 of such year.

(b) Term of License. All licenses required by the provisions of this article shall be issued for the period ending December 31 of each year.

(c) Licenses Under Another Jurisdiction. A dog brought into the City that has been licensed in another County or City within the State shall meet all the conditions set forth in this chapter and the owner shall apply for the transfer of the license within thirty (30) days of moving into the City. The fee for transfer shall be as set forth in the City's fee schedule. Regardless of the term of such license in the issuing jurisdiction, the license shall expire on December 31.

(d) Collar and Tag.

(1) Upon payment of the license fee, the City shall issue to the owner a license certificate for the effective period and a tag for each dog so licensed. The City shall not issue the license required by the provisions of this article until the person applying therefore shall have exhibited a spay/neuter certificate unless a valid exception applies, and a certificate that the dog for which a license has been applied for has been vaccinated with the rabies vaccine. Such certificates shall be exhibited at the time the application is made for such license.

(2) The owner or person in control of the dog shall provide the dog with a suitable collar or other device to which the license shall be securely attached. The dog shall wear the collar and tag at all times that the dog is in the City and not confined indoors or in an enclosed yard or pen.

(3) Lost license tags may be replaced by surrendering to the City the receipt for the lost license and by paying to the City a fee. This fee shall be as set forth in the City's fee schedule. After complying with the above provision, the City shall again register the animal, and issue a new license tag.

(4) The owner or person in control of the dog shall show the license receipt and tag at any time upon demand by an Animal Regulations Officer. A refusal to show proper registration upon demand is a violation of this section.

(5) It is unlawful for any person to attach a license tag to the collar of any dog except the animal that is described in the application for such license tag.

(e) Refunds. No refunds or credits shall be made on any license because of the death of any licensed animal or the owner leaving the City before the expiration of the license period.

(Ord. No. 2011-06, § 1, 11-1-2011)

Violations of this article are infractions.

(Ord. No. 2011-06, § 1, 11-1-2011)