Monterey County Municipal Code Ch. 8.08 Vaccination, Vaccination Certificate, and License

Dogs and cats shall be considered properly vaccinated for the purposes of this Code when injected at four months of age or older by a licensed veterinarian with an approved animal rabies vaccine. Proper vaccination procedure is in accordance with the following conditions:

A. Primary Immunization. This shall be defined as the initial inoculation of an approved rabies vaccine to dogs and cats between the ages of four and twelve (12) months.

B. Minimum Age For Rabies Vaccination. Four months is the minimum age for which dogs and cats shall be accepted for purposes of owner compliance with requirements for licensing.

C. Revaccination Intervals. Dogs and cats shall be revaccinated one year after the primary immunization with an approved rabies vaccine and thereafter at least once every three years. Dogs and cats receiving their initial rabies vaccination over twelve (12) months of age shall be revaccinated at least once every three years thereafter.

(Ord. 3629, 1992)

A. The veterinarian vaccinating the dog or cat shall issue the owner or person in possession of the said dog or cat, a rabies vaccination certificate which shall include:

1. The owner's name, address, and telephone number.

2. The animal's name, breed, color, age and sex (specify if animal has been (spayed/neutered).

3. The date of immunization.

4. The manufacturer and type of rabies vaccine administered.

5. The lot number of the vaccine used, if one is issued.

6. The tag number if one is issued.

B. The veterinarian issuing rabies vaccination certificates for dogs shall maintain one copy of each vaccination certificate issued and shall provide to the Director of Health on a monthly basis a duplicate copy of each vaccination certificate so issued.

C. The veterinarian issuing rabies vaccination certificates for cats shall maintain one copy of each vaccination certificate issued and shall provide to the Director of Health no later than January 31st each year the number of cats vaccinated during the preceding calendar year, together with an estimate of the percentage of the veterinarian's feline clients that have been vaccinated for rabies as of December 31st of the preceding calendar year.

(Ord. 4159, 2002; Ord. 4143, 2002; Ord. 3629, 1992)

Any person owning, keeping, harboring or having custody of any dog four months of age or over within the unincorporated area of the County shall obtain a license as provided in this Chapter and after paying such fees as the Board of Supervisors may establish by resolution. Any person owning, keeping, harboring, or having custody of any cat four months of age or over within the unincorporated area of the County may obtain a license as provided in this Chapter and after paying such fees as the Board of Supervisors may establish by resolution.

A. Written application for licenses, which shall include the name and address of applicant, description of the animal, sex, color and breed of the animal, the appropriate fee, and a current valid rabies vaccination certificate issued by a licensed veterinarian, shall be made to the Animal Control Officer. The vaccination certificate must not expire before the period for which the license is issued. The licensing authority shall not issue a license for a spayed female or neutered male without written evidence of the fact of spaying or neutering.

B. The person to whom the license is to be issued may choose a license period ranging from one to thirty-six (36) months. The license period shall not extend beyond the remaining period of validity for the current rabies vaccination.

C. Application for a license must be made by the owner within thirty (30) days after a dog reaches four months of age or within thirty (30) days of obtaining a dog which is four months of age or over. This requirement does not apply to a nonresident keeping a dog within the unincorporated area of the County for not longer than thirty (30) days and does not apply to any dog brought to the County of Monterey exclusively for the purpose of entering the dog in a dog show or a dog exhibition provided such dogs are not permitted to run at large.

D. Any dog owned by a person moving into the unincorporated area of the County of Monterey that has been currently licensed by any one of the cities within the County while that person was a resident of one of the cities within the County shall be considered to have a valid license for the unincorporated area of the County provided a license tag is attached to the dog's collar or harness or the dog has an injectable chip and further provided the dog has been vaccinated with an anti-rabies vaccine of a type approved by the State Department of Health Services that will not expire before the license expires. Upon expiration of a license issued from a city within Monterey County, the legal owner shall have thirty (30) days to secure a license from Monterey County. Any dog owned or possessed by a person moving into an unincorporated are of the County of Monterey from any area outside the County of Monterey must license such dog with the County of Monterey within thirty (30) days after moving into such unincorporated area.

E. The owner of a certified seeing eye dog or hearing dog, or any other certified dog that is trained to assist the handicapped or police dogs used in the course and scope of their employment by peace officers whether owned by a governmental agency or an individual peace officer, shall not be required to pay any fee for license for such dog. Each such dog, however, must be licensed and vaccinated. The license fee exception shall not apply to guard dogs and sentry dogs not used by peace officers in the course and scope of their employment.

F. Upon acceptance of the license application and fee, if required, the Animal Control Officer shall issue a license tag stamped with an identifying number. Tags should be designed so that they may be conveniently fastened to the dog or cat's collar or harness. A dog or cat must have a current rabies vaccination for a license to be valid. No license will be issued for any period not covered by a valid rabies vaccination.

G. The licensing authority shall maintain a record of the identifying numbers of all tags issued and shall make this record available to the public at all times during normal working hours.

H. The maximum license period shall be determined by the date the current rabies vaccination expires. A license application may be made thirty (30) days prior to the expiration of a current license or a current rabies vaccination period, whichever comes first. A dog or cat owner may license such animal for up to thirty-six (36) months provided the rabies vaccination will be current for the entire period. Persons applying for a license shall pay the fee established at Section 8.52.010 of this Title. This license fee shall not be refundable or transferable. The license fee for spayed female animals and neutered male animals shall not exceed fifty (50) percent of the license fee otherwise imposed.

I. Owners who fail to obtain a license within time periods set forth herein or who fail to renew a license within thirty (30) days after the expiration of a prior license shall pay a late fee in an amount set forth at Section 8.52.010 of this Title.

J. An owner may obtain a duplicate license tag to replace one lost or mutilated upon the payment of such replacement fee as set forth at Section 8.52.010 of this Title.

K. No person shall attach or fasten any license tag to an animal other than the animal for which it was issued or otherwise represent that the license tag is for the animal other than the animal for which it was issued.

L. The Animal Control Officer shall keep a register wherein shall be kept the name and address of the owner to whom the tag was issued, a description of the dog or cat, the number of the tag issued and the date thereof.

(Ord. 3629, 1992)

Dogs shall wear a license tag with or without a chip implant at all times. Licensed cats should wear a license tag or chip implant at all times. License tags must be secured from the Animal Control Officer or his or her designee. The tag shall be attached at all times to a collar, harness or other suitable device upon the dog for which the license tag was issued. Dogs or cats completely maintained in an enclosed kennel run or cage environment do not need to wear the tag, however, it shall be necessary that it be available for inspection, at all times.

(Ord. 3629, 1992)

All dogs licensed under a kennel license shall be confined within a cage or other dog-tight enclosure, or restrained by a chain, strap or cord attached to their collar or harness, actually held by some person capable or exercising physical restraint or made fast to some stationary object, except:

1. While participating in hunting, dog shows, exhibitions or field trials, while under the control of the owner or handler; or

2. While on agricultural lands owned or operated by the person obtaining the kennel license; or

3. While hunting with licensed hunters in a lawful manner.

(Ord. 3629, 1992)