Maywood Municipal Code Ch. 5 Wild and Vicious Animals

No person owning or having the charge, custody, control, or possession of any animal known by such person to be vicious or dangerous, or commonly so known, shall permit or allow the same to run at large within the City upon any highway, street, lane, alley, court, or other public place, or upon any private property, or on or within the premises of such person in such a manner as to endanger the life or limb of any person lawfully entering such premises.

(§ 1, Ord. 66-15, eff. October 27, 1966)

Except as hereinafter provided, no person shall have, keep, maintain, or have in his possession or under his control within the City any elephant, bear, hippopotamus, rhinoceros, lion, tiger, leopard, wolf, monkey, ape, chimpanzee, or any poisonous reptile or serpent, or any other dangerous or carnivorous wild animal or reptile, or any vicious or dangerous domesticated animal, or any other animal or reptile of wild or vicious or dangerous propensities without first applying to and receiving a permit from the City Administrator to do so.

(§ 1, Ord. 66-15, eff. October 27, 1966)

Any person interested may, within ten (10) days after such permit is granted or denied, appeal the action of the City Administrator in granting or denying any such permit to the Planning Commission, but such appeal shall be set forth in writing, designating the action appealed from and the nature of the objections thereto.

Any person dissatisfied with the ruling of the Commission may, within ten (10) days thereafter, appeal from such decision to the Council. Such appeal shall be in the same form as is required of an appeal to the Commission.

An appeal fee of Five and no/100ths ($5.00) Dollars shall be required for each appeal to the Commission and each appeal to the Council. No appeal shall be placed on the agenda of any meeting of the Commission or the Council until such fee has been paid.

(§ 1, Ord. 66-15, eff. October 27, 1966)

No such permit shall be granted except with such conditions attached as shall, in the opinion of the person or agency approving such permit, reasonably insure the public health, safety, and general welfare, and no permit shall be granted in any event for any animal, reptile, or serpent at any particular location except upon an explicit finding by the person or agency approving such permit that the issuance thereof will nor be contrary to the public health, safety, and general welfare.

(§ 1, Ord. 66-15, eff. October 27, 1966)

The City Administrator may, following an application for a permit and pending final disposition of the same, grant a temporary permit for the maintenance within the City of any such animal, reptile, or serpent upon such conditions as he shall, in his sole discretion, require when, in his opinion, there is no reasonable doubt as to the consistency thereof with the public health, safety, and general welfare, but no animal, reptile, or serpent shall be otherwise kept or maintained within the City or permitted to occupy any premises within the City except while such a regular or temporary permit is in full force and effect.

(§ 1, Ord. 66-15, eff. October 27, 1966)

An application for any permit required pursuant to the provisions of this chapter shall be made to the City Administrator in writing and upon a form furnished by the City Administrator if so required. Such application shall be verified by the person who desires to have, keep, maintain, or have in his possession or under his control, in the City, the animal, reptile, or serpent for which a permit is required and shall set forth the following:

(a) The name, address, and telephone number of the applicant;

(b) The applicant's interest in such animal, reptile, or serpent;

(c) The proposed location and the name, address, and telephone number of the owner of such location and of the lessee, if any;

(d) The number and general description of all animals, reptiles, and serpents for which the permit is sought;

(e) Any information known to the applicant concerning the vicious or dangerous propensities of all such animals, reptiles, and serpents;

(f) The housing arrangements for all such animals, reptiles, and serpents, with particular details as to the safety of the structure, locks, fencing, etc.;

(g) The safety precautions proposed to be taken;

(h) Any noises or odors anticipated in the keeping of such animals, reptiles, and serpents;

(i) The prior history of incidents involving the public health or safety involving any of such animals, reptiles, and serpents; and

(j) Any additional information required by the City Administrator at the time of filing such application or thereafter.

(§ 1, Ord. 66-15, eff. October 27, 1966)

Copies of any application for a permit pursuant to the provisions of this chapter shall be sent by the City Administrator to the Police Department, Health Department, Planning Department, and to any other department or agency from which information is sought, and no permit shall be granted without the receipt of a report from the departments or agencies to which copies of the application have been sent unless waived by the City Administrator for good cause.

(§ 1, Ord. 66-15, eff. October 27, 1966)

The permit requirements of this chapter shall not apply to any person so keeping or maintaining or having in his possession or control any animal, snake, or reptile defined in Section 4-5.02 of this chapter when such person is transporting such animal, reptile, or snake through the City, has taken adequate safeguards to protect the public, and has notified the local law enforcement agency of the proposed route of transportation and time thereof.

(§ 1, Ord. 66-15, eff. October 27, 1966)

No permit shall be granted unless there is paid to the City at the time of filing the application therefor a permit fee in the amount of Five and no/100ths ($5.00) Dollars for each animal, reptile, or snake for which a permit is sought, not to exceed a total of Fifteen and no/100ths ($15.00) Dollars. Accretions by natural birth shall not require additional permits during the period of the permit.

(§ 1, Ord. 66-15, eff. October 27, 1966)

Commercial establishments possessing such animals, reptiles, or snakes for the purpose of sale or display may replace the same with others of the same kind, but the number of each shall not be in excess of the number thereof allowed by the terms of such permit. Such establishments may, in the discretion of the approving agency, be granted a permit for such numbers of each kind of animal, reptile, and snake as do not exceed the maximum such establishment estimates will be maintained by it in the City at any one time during the period of the permit. Such permit shall require the immediate notification of the City Administrator upon the acquisition of any animal, reptile, or serpent having a prior history of any incident involving the public health or safety, or resulting in any bodily injury or property damage.

(§ 1, Ord. 66-15, eff. October 27, 1966)

No permit required by the provisions of this chapter shall be granted for a period in excess of one year. An application for renewal of any permit shall be made not less than forty-five (45) days prior to the expiration thereof and shall be accompanied by the same fee as required upon making the original application, excepting that the City Administrator may, at his discretion, approve the renewal of any permit for an additional period not exceeding one year without the making of an additional application or the payment of an additional fee when, in his opinion, the public health, safety, and general welfare do not require further investigation prior to such renewal.

(§ 1, Ord. 66-15, eff. October 27, 1966)

The City Administrator may, for good cause, revoke any permit or modify any terms or provisions thereof after an informal public hearing and may, in the event it is reasonably necessary to protect against an immediate threat or danger to the public health or safety, suspend any permit or portion thereof without hearing for a period not to exceed thirty (30) days.

Any person aggrieved by such action may, upon payment of an appeal fee of Five and no/100ths ($5.00) Dollars, have such action reviewed by the Council, but the filing of an appeal shall not stay any order of suspension.

(§ 1, Ord. 66-15, eff. October 27, 1966)