Lake Forest Municipal Code Ch. 10.28 Animal Impoundment

The City Manager or his or her deputies, including County animal control personnel, may take into custody:

A. Any animal kept or maintained contrary to the provisions of the Lake Forest Municipal Code, any regulation adopted thereunder, or any California statute.

B. Animals running at large contrary to the provisions of this title or any statute.

C. Sick, injured, stray, unwanted animals, for which the owner or custodian cannot be found or is unable or unwilling to provide proper care.

D. Animals quarantined for which no other place of quarantine is acceptable to the City Manager.

E. Animals delivered or requested to be impounded by a peace officer, or public officer or employee as defined in Penal Code Section 836.5.

F. Any wild animal found to be at large upon any public property, or upon request of the owner or tenant, found to be at large upon private property.

G. Animals impounded pursuant to Section 10.20.020.

H. Any other animal authorized to be impounded under this title.

(Ord. 165 § 1, 2007; Ord. 249 § 11, 2015; Ord. 302 § 36, 2018)

No person shall, without the consent of the owner, hold or retain possession of any animal for more than 24 hours without first reporting the possession of such animal to the City Manager, giving his or her name and address and a true description of the animal, and then surrendering such animal to the City Manager upon demand.

(Ord. 165 § 1, 2007; Ord. 302 § 36, 2018)

No person shall remove any animal from the custody of City or County animal control personnel or from a publicly operated animal shelter without permission to do so from the Director or the City Manager.

(Ord. 165 § 1, 2007; Ord. 302 § 36, 2018)

A. Except as otherwise provided by State law or this Code, when any animal, other than an animal abandoned by its owner, is impounded pursuant to this title, the Director, or designee, shall, within 12 working hours after impounding such animal, notify the owner, if known, of the location of such animal. Said notification shall be by mail with postage fully prepaid thereon.

B. Any impounded animal may be redeemed by the owner upon payment of the fees established by resolution of the Board of Supervisors or City Council. The owner must also demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Director that he or she is the owner of the animal, and that he or she can keep such animal in conformance with the requirements of this chapter.

C. If a licensed animal is not redeemed within seven days of impoundment, excluding public holidays and the day of impoundment (three days for unlicensed animals), it shall be deemed abandoned and the Director may sell, release, or destroy said animal.

(Ord. 165 § 1, 2007; Ord. 302 § 36, 2018)

Except as otherwise provided by State law or by this chapter any unredeemed animal may be sold by the Director upon payment of the fees established by resolution of the Board of Supervisors or City Council. An unredeemed female dog which has not been neutered shall not be sold or given away, other than for approved medical research, unless the deposit specified in Section 10.28.070 has been received.

(Ord. 165 § 1, 2007; Ord. 302 § 36, 2018)

Any impounded animal which has not been redeemed or sold may be disposed of by euthanasia. Euthanasia may also be performed at the request of the owner of the animal; a fee may be charged if provided for by resolution of the Board of Supervisors or City Council.

(Ord. 165 § 1, 2007; Ord. 302 § 36, 2018)

No humane shelter or shelter operated by a society for the prevention of cruelty to animals shall sell or give away, except for approved medical research, any female dog which has not been neutered unless the cost of neutering such dog has been deposited with the shelter for payment to a veterinarian or neutering clinic designated by the person purchasing or receiving the dog. The deposit shall be forwarded to the veterinarian or clinic upon receipt by the shelter of a notice from the veterinarian or clinic that the dog has been neutered.

(Ord. 165 § 1, 2007; Ord. 302 § 36, 2018)

No person shall sell, barter or give away, nor shall any person buy, accept or take possession of any animal on premises upon which a publicly operated animal shelter is located, including adjacent parking areas, without the written permission of the Director. The Director may define the premises covered by this section and cause those areas to be posted so as to advise persons of the provisions of this section.

(Ord. 165 § 1, 2007; Ord. 302 § 36, 2018)