Ridgecrest Municipal Code § 3-45 Dogs, licensing required

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State Law reference— Dogs, Food and Agricultural Code § 30501 et seq.

It shall be unlawful for any person owning, harboring, or having the care, custody, or possession of any dog to keep or maintain any such dog in any place in the city, unless such dog is licensed as provided herein. This section shall have no application to dogs under the age of four months which are fastened securely by a chain, rope, or leash, or confined within private property legally controlled by the person in possession of such dog.

(Code 1980, § 5-5.1; Ord. No. 85, § 7)

It shall be unlawful for any person owning, harboring, or having the care, custody, or possession of any dog to keep or maintain any such dog in any place in the city, unless such dog has been vaccinated as required by this section, excepting dogs under the age of four months fastened securely by a chain, rope, or leash, or confined within private property legally controlled by the person in possession of such dog.

(Code 1980, § 5-5.2; Ord. No. 85, § 8)

No person shall license any dog in the city until it has been vaccinated with canine chick-embryo origin modified live-virus rabies vaccine or other biennially effective method approved by the health officer, or the owner or the person in possession of a dog submits a certificate from a licensed veterinarian issued within the preceding 60 days stating that, in his opinion, the rabies vaccine would be likely to seriously injure the dog. Any dog so excepted from rabies vaccination shall be restricted to the enclosed yard of the owner or person in possession of the same except when held upon a chain, rope, or leash. Any violation hereof by the owner or person in possession of such dog shall be unlawful.

(Code 1980, § 5-5.3; Ord. No. 130, § 1; Ord. No. 85, § 9)

Said vaccination shall be performed by any duly qualified and licensed physician or veterinarian. This person may be hereinafter referred to as the "vaccinator." The vaccinator shall issue to the owner or person in possession of the dog which has been vaccinated a certificate of vaccination in a form approved by the health officer and endorsed by the vaccinator showing the date of such vaccination.

(Code 1980, § 5-5.4; Ord. No. 130, § 2; Ord. No. 85, § 10)

License fee amount, due date and penalties shall be set forth by resolution.

(Code 1980, § 5-5.5; Ord. No. 79-2, § 2; Ord. No. 130, § 3; Ord. No. 85, § 11)

Upon exhibition of the proper certificate of vaccination or a proper certificate of exemption from vaccination and payment of the license fee, there shall be delivered to the person making such payment a metal tag, with the number and year stamped or cut thereon, and the words "dog tag" stamped thereon, which dog tag shall be securely fastened to a collar or harness which must be worn at all times by the dog for which the tag was issued. If the dog is exempted from vaccination, the dog tag shall have a distinguishing mark as evidence of such fact. Said tag while attached to a dog's collar or harness shall be prima facie evidence that the dog for which the same was issued has been licensed during the calendar year for which said tag was issued and has been vaccinated or is exempt from the requirement of vaccination.

(Code 1980, § 5-5.6; Ord. No. 85, § 12)

In order to facilitate the licensing of dogs in the city and the collection of fees thereon, the license collector may authorize the animal control officer, his deputies, or any duly qualified and licensed physician or veterinarian to license any dog, collect the license fee thereon and issue to the person paying said fee the dog tag herein provided for at the same time said dog is vaccinated with canine rabies vaccine and a certificate of vaccination is issued, or at the same time that said dog is given a certificate of exemption from such vaccination. Any person so authorized by the license collector to perform the aforementioned acts shall account to the license collector not less than once each month for all dogs so licensed and all license fees collected.

(Code 1980, § 5-5.7; Ord. No. 85, § 13)

Whenever, during the biennial period for which it is effective, a dog tag issued pursuant to this article has been lost or taken or stolen by parties unknown to the owner or person having the care, custody, or control of the dog for which the dog tag was issued, such owner or person having the care, custody, or control of such dog may, upon payment of the fee established by resolution and exhibition of evidence of vaccination in compliance with this section and on making and subscribing to an affidavit of such loss of the tag, receive from the license collector a duplicate tag for the remaining portion of the biennial period for which the original dog tag was issued.

(Code 1980, § 5-5.8; Ord. No. 85, § 14; Ord. No. 130, § 4)