Fresno Municipal Code Art. 2 Animals

The following terms as used in this article shall have the meaning ascribed to them in this section as follows:

(1) The term "rabbit" shall include hares and the unprocessed meat of all such animals.

(2) The term "poultry" shall include chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks, pigeons, squabs, guineas, peafowls and game birds of every kind whether wild or domesticated and the unprocessed meat thereof.

(3) The word "sell" shall include display for sale, keep for sale, offer for sale, or transport for the purposes of sale, to the general public or to any wholesaler or retailer.

(4) The term "health officer" shall mean the Health Officer of the City of Fresno and his authorized assistants.

(5) The term "certificate of sanitation" shall mean such certificate as may be prepared by the health officer in the form prescribed by him certifying to the sanitation and suitability of any premises or facilities used for the slaughter, storage and transportation of rabbits or poultry.

(6) The word "permit" shall mean a permit issued by the health officer authorizing the bringing into the City of Fresno slaughtered rabbits or poultry for purposes of sale within the city.

(Orig. Ord. 3602).

Editor's note— Ord. 2015-39, § 9, effective January 9, 2016, amended the Code by repealing former § 10-202 in its entirety. Former § 10-202 pertained to keeping wild animals and bees, and derived from Ord. 3755; Ord. 5005 of 1957; Ord. 5780 of 1960; and Ord. 6769 of 1966.

All enclosures or premises wherein any animals or fowl are kept shall be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition, free from obnoxious smells and substances. No person shall maintain any enclosure or other place for the housing or keeping of fowl or animals (except dogs) within thirty-five feet of any building used for human habitation, unless such building is occupied by the owner or keeper of the fowl or animals.

(Orig. Ord. 2898; Am. Ord. 6769, 1966).

All places and premises upon which any animals or fowl are kept or maintained shall be open at all times for inspection by the Health Officer of the city or his deputy. If upon such inspection any person is found to be violating any of the provisions of this article, he shall be given a written notice of such violation or violations, said notice to specify the particular violations charged and require such person to remedy such conditions within ten days from receipt of such notice. No person receiving such a notice shall fail to comply with its requirements.

(Orig. Ord. 2898; Am. Ord. 6769, 1966).

All animals and fowl described in Section 10-201 of this article shall be kept and fed in enclosures complying with the following requirements:

(1) The said enclosure shall be entirely surrounded by a fence or wall sufficient to confine such animals or fowl within such enclosure.

(2) The said fowl and animals shall be confined to said enclosures at all times, excepting that homing pigeons banded by the American Racing Pigeon Union official band may be liberated for exercise and official races sanctioned by the American Racing Pigeon Union.

(Orig. Ord. 2898; Am. Ord. 5426, 1958; Am. Ord. 6769, 1966).

(a) No person shall sell within the City of Fresno any slaughtered rabbit or poultry of any kind which has been slaughtered, stored or transported within the City of Fresno other than upon premises and by facilities for which there existed at the time of such slaughter, storage and transportation a valid, unrevoked certificate of sanitation issued by said Health Officer.

(b) The Health Officer shall issue without charge and upon the application of any person therefor, a certificate of sanitation for any premises and facilities for the slaughter, storage and transportation of rabbits or poultry within the City of Fresno upon the showing by applicant that said premises and facilities are such and that sanitary practices, as required by the Health Officer are such as in the opinion of the Health Officer will insure such rabbits and poultry reaching the market in a clean, sanitary and undeteriorated condition.

(c) Every person who brings slaughtered rabbits or poultry of any kind into the City of Fresno for the purposes of sale within said city shall have first acquired from the health officer a permit to do so, which permit shall be issued by the said health officer upon a showing that said person is equipped to properly kill, store and transport such rabbits or poultry and that such sanitary practices are being observed as in the opinion of the health officer will insure such products reaching the market in a clean, sanitary and undeteriorated condition.

(d) The health officer may summarily revoke any certificate of sanitation or permit where he finds that the condition under which it was originally issued no longer exists or that such sanitary practices as he prescribes are not being observed.

(e) Every person selling slaughtered rabbits or poultry to the general public within the City of Fresno shall at all times have in his possession and display the same to the Health Officer upon demand a true copy of the certificate of sanitation or permit as the case may be which may have been issued by the Health Officer for the slaughter or transportation of such rabbits or poultry which such person then has on hand.

(f) No person shall sell any slaughtered rabbits or poultry of any kind within the City of Fresno, the carcass or meat of which has been immersed in water other than for a period of not to exceed one-half hour immediately after slaughter.

(Orig. Ord. 3602).