Irvine Municipal Code Ch. 3 Vaccination and Rabies Control

Footnotes:

--- (6) ---

Cross reference— Health generally, tit. 4, div. 10.

Every person owning or having a dog, four months of age or older, for 15 or more days shall have such dog vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian and revaccinated thereafter at intervals not greater than three years for adult dogs and not greater than one year for young dogs who receive their first such vaccination.

(Ord. No. 09-10, § 1, 9-22-09)

A. Each duly licensed veterinarian, after vaccinating any dog for rabies, shall sign a certificate of vaccination in triplicate containing all information required by the County Health Officer. He or she shall present one copy to the owner, shall deliver the duplicate copy to the Director of Community and Library Services or his or her designee, and shall retain a third copy.

B. Veterinarians located with the city who vaccinate Irvine residents' pets against rabies shall deliver a copy of the vaccination certificate to the Director of Community and Library Services or his or her designee within 45 days of vaccination. Failure to do so will result in an administrative fine in an amount to be set by the Irvine City Council.

(Ord. No. 09-10, § 1, 9-22-09; Ord. No. 25-09, § 2(Exh. A), 5-13-25)

The vaccination requirement for rabies shall not apply to a dog if a licensed veterinarian has examined the dog and certified at such time that rabies vaccine may endanger the dog's health because of its age, infirmity, debility or other physiological considerations, and said dog is kept in the house or in a fenced yard adequate to confine the animal at all times. The deferment shall be valid only during the period that vaccination would endanger the dog's health as said period is shown by the certificate of a licensed veterinarian.

(Ord. No. 09-10, § 1, 9-22-09)

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

(Ord. No. 09-10, § 1, 9-22-09)

No person shall make use of or have in his or her possession a stolen, counterfeit or forged vaccination certificate.

(Ord. No. 09-10, § 1, 9-22-09)

Any person having knowledge of the whereabouts of an animal known to have or suspected of having rabies shall report the facts immediately to the City Health Officer or his or her designee. In those areas declared by the Director of the State Department of Public Health to be regarded as rabies areas (California Health and Safety Code Section 121585 or any successor statute), the City Health Officer or his or her designee shall be notified when any person is bitten or otherwise exposed by contact with an animal of a species subject to rabies, whether or not the animal is known to have or is suspected of having rabies.

(Ord. No. 09-10, § 1, 9-22-09)

Whenever a person owning or having charge, care, control, or possession of any animal has knowledge that such animal has bitten any person, the person owning or having charge, care, control or possession of such animal shall report said fact to the City Health Officer and/or the Director of Public Safety or his or her designee.

(Ord. No. 09-10, § 1, 9-22-09)

Upon receipt of a report that a person has been bitten by or is otherwise exposed by contact with an animal of a species subject to rabies (all warm-blooded animals), the City Health Officer or his or her designee shall have such animal quarantined for rabies observation for a period of time determined by the Health Officer, but in no case less than 10 calendar days. The owner or keeper of such animals shall upon demand relinquish possession of the animal for the purpose of quarantine to the City Health Officer or his or her designee. Said quarantine, when not conducted on the owner's or keeper's premises, shall be done at the owner's or keeper's expense. Refusal to surrender or quarantine any animal to the City Health Officer or his or her designee believed to have inflicted a bite upon a person shall be a violation of this section. Animals who have bitten or otherwise exposed a person to the possibility of rabies that are not currently vaccinated against rabies may be impounded and quarantined by an animal services officer at the owner's or keeper's expense. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, the City Health Officer may authorize, with permission of the owner and/or following other legal restrictions, the euthanasia of a biting animal for the purpose of laboratory examination for rabies in an approved laboratory. Costs of the laboratory examination may be the responsibility of the owner.

(Ord. No. 09-10, § 1, 9-22-09)

If any rabid animal, clinically suspected rabid animal, or biting animal dies or has been killed, adequate specimen shall be obtained and examined in an approved public health laboratory. No person shall destroy or allow to be destroyed the brain of an animal of a species subject to rabies that has bitten or otherwise exposed a person, before the destruction of such brain has been authorized by the Orange County Public Health Department.

(Ord. No. 09-10, § 1, 9-22-09)

Any animal of a species subject to rabies which has been bitten by a known or suspected rabid animal or has been exposed by contact with a rabid or suspected rabid animal shall be quarantined in a place and manner approved by the City Health Officer for a period of six months, or destroyed, with the exception that the following alternative is permitted in the case of dogs and cats: If the dog or cat has been vaccinated against rabies within two years, but not less than 30 days with a canine live-virus rabies vaccine, or within one year but not less than 30 days with a canine killed-virus rabies vaccine, the dog or cat may be revaccinated in a manner prescribed and quarantined in a place and manner approved by the City Health Officer or his or her designee officer for a period of 30 days.

(Ord. No. 09-10, § 1, 9-22-09)

No owner or person, either by himself or through his or her agent, shall remove from any place of isolation or quarantine any animal which has been isolated or quarantined without the consent of the City Health Officer or his or her designee.

(Ord. No. 09-10, § 1, 9-22-09)

If upon examination, the City Health Officer determines that any animal is afflicted with rabies, he or she may cause such animal to be immediately destroyed in a humane manner; provided, however, when any animal shall be known to have bitten or otherwise exposed a person or animal to rabies, such animal shall be quarantined for such a time as may be prescribed by law or may be humanely euthanized following legal restrictions and with the approval of the City Health Officer for the purpose of laboratory examination for rabies.

(Ord. No. 09-10, § 1, 9-22-09)