Santa Clarita Municipal Code Part 1 Licensing

Pursuant to Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 30801) of Division 14 of the Food and Agricultural Code, the Director shall issue serially numbered permanent dog license tags marked with the name of the County of Los Angeles.

(Ord. 91-29, 8/13/1991; Ord. 01-12, 7/10/2001)

The Director may authorize the issuance of dog licenses, as required by Section 8.20.010, by persons practicing veterinary medicine in the City of Santa Clarita, or by other persons approved by the Director who meet the qualifications established by the department. Said persons shall transmit records and negotiable papers to the Department of Animal Care and Control at intervals as established by the Director, and shall collect and transmit to the Director the fee required by this chapter for the issuance of such licenses. The Director may reimburse these businesses for such fees.

(Ord. 91-29, 8/13/1991; Ord. 01-12, 7/10/2001)

Any person keeping or harboring any dog for fifteen (15) consecutive days shall be deemed to be the custodian thereof and subject to licensing provisions within the meaning of this Division 1.

(Ord. 91-29, 8/13/1991)

Every person owning or having custody or control of any dog or cat over the age of four (4) months in the City of Santa Clarita shall obtain an annual license from the Director for each dog and cat and shall pay the fees for the licenses including delinquency charges and field enforcement fees as set forth in Sections 8.20.120 and 8.90.010. The owner or custodian of an animal found unlicensed by a department employee or any authorized agent in the field will be charged a field enforcement fee.

(Ord. 91-29, 8/13/1991; Ord. 11-13 § 9, 6/28/2011)

A fee of one-half of the amount for dog licenses stated in Section 8.90.010 shall be charged to persons presenting proof and qualifying for senior citizen status. For purposes of this Title 8, persons over sixty (60) years of age qualify for senior citizen status.

(Ord. 91-29, 8/13/1991)

A. Dogs. Up to four (4) dogs may be kept at any residence without an animal facility license, provided the dogs' owner or custodian licenses each individual dog and complies with the mandatory spay and neuter program for dogs, Section 8.20.350 et seq. For purposes of this section, a service dog licensed under Section 8.20.090 is not counted toward the number of dogs kept or maintained while such dog is serving a person who is disabled within the meaning of Government Code Section 12926(i) or (k).

B. Cats. Up to ten (10) cats may be kept at any residence without an animal facility license, provided the cats' owner or custodian licenses each individual cat, has each cat spayed or neutered and keeps all cats primarily indoors.

(Ord. 11-13 § 10, 6/28/2011)

An individual license shall be obtained for each dog or cat when such dog or cat is kept as a pet at an animal facility and is not kept exclusively in a kennel run or cage.

(Ord. 91-29, 8/13/1991; Ord. 01-12, 7/10/2001; Ord. 11-13 § 11, 6/28/2011)

A person who is a hobby breeder as defined in Section 8.08.155 shall obtain a hobby breeding license in the amount set forth in Section 8.90.010. Each license shall authorize the birth of no more than one (1) litter per female dog or cat in any twelve (12) month period and no more than one (1) litter per domestic household in any twelve (12) month period. Breeding in excess of that authorized under this section requires a breeding facility license (see Sections 8.08.070 and 8.40.200 et seq.) and may result in further penalties.

(Ord. 91-29, 8/13/1991; Ord. 04-13 § 7, 10/12/2004; Ord. 11-13 § 12, 6/28/2011)

A. The provisions of this Division 1 do not require either a tag or a license for:

1. Any dog found within the City when the owner thereof resides in any other municipality within the county, or an unincorporated territory of the county and such dog is wearing or has attached to it a license tag for the current year issued by such municipality or the county;

2. Any dog owned by or in the charge of any person who is a nonresident of the City and is traveling through the City or temporarily sojourning therein for a period of not exceeding thirty (30) days;

3. Any dog brought into the City and kept therein for not to exceed thirty (30) days for the exclusive purpose of entering the same in any bench show, or dog exhibition, or field trials or competition;

4. Any dog brought or sent into the City from any point outside thereof for the exclusive purpose of receiving veterinary care in any dog hospital, in the event that such dog is kept at all times strictly confined within such hospital;

5. Any dog wearing or having attached to it a license tag for the current year issued by a municipality within the county when the owner thereof has, within one year last past, moved his principal place of residence from such municipality to the City; provided, that such municipality similarly exempts from tag and license requirements dogs wearing current county license tags and owned by persons who have moved from the City to such municipality.

B. Except, that each dog found within the City, regardless of where the owner may reside, must have a Los Angeles County dog license; and the license tag must be securely affixed to the dog's collar while it is being used as a guard dog within the City of Santa Clarita.

(Ord. 91-29, 8/13/1991)

The Director may accept the payment of the fee for a license tag and a license for a dog who has not been vaccinated as required by Division 1 on condition that the owner of such dog, within five (5) days thereafter, have such dog vaccinated and submit the required veterinarian's certificate to the Director. Upon receipt of such certificate, the Director shall issue the license tag and license.

(Ord. 91-29, 8/13/1991)

A person who obtains a license without submitting a certificate of vaccination because of the infirmity or disability of the dog shall, within ten (10) days after the termination of such infirmity or disability, cause such dog to be vaccinated as required by Part 2 of this chapter.

(Ord. 91-29, 8/13/1991)

Each license and each dog license tag provided for in this chapter for a dog which has been honorably discharged from the armed forces of the United States shall be of indefinite duration, so long as the same individual owns or harbors the same dog. No fee shall be charged for such license over and above the one dollar ($1.00) required for the dog license tag.

(Ord. 91-29, 8/13/1991)

A. Every person owning or having custody or control of a dog of either sex over the age of four months which comes within the definition of guide dog, signal dog, or service dog who submits proof to the Director that such dog has been successfully trained as a guide dog, or as a signal dog, or as a service dog shall procure a dog license tag and a license, which dog license tag and license shall be good while such dog is owned or harbored by the same person. No fee shall be charged for such license over and above the one dollar ($1.00) required for the dog license tag,

B. As used in this section, "guide dog" means any guide dog or seeing-eye dog which was trained by a person licensed under Chapter 9.5 (commencing with Section 7200) of Division 3 of the Business and Professions Code.

C. As used in this section, "signal dog" means any dog trained to alert a deaf person, or a person whose hearing is impaired, to intruders or sounds.

D. As used in this section, "service dog" means any dog individually trained to do work or perform tasks to meet the requirements of a physically disable person, including, but not limited to, minimal protection work, rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, or fetching dropped items.

(Ord. 91-29, 8/13/1991)

Pursuant to Section 30804.5 of the Food and Agricultural Code, any dog license tag issued pursuant to Section 8.20.030 of this Part 1 shall be issued for one-half or less of the fee required if a certificate is presented from a licensed veterinarian that the dog has been spayed or neutered.

(Ord. 91-29, 8/13/1991)

A. The license fees provided for in this chapter shall be paid annually to the Director in the amount set forth in Section 8.90.010.

B. A delinquency charge as provided in Section 8.90.010 shall be assessed when the license fees provided for in this chapter are not paid within ten (10) days after the expiration date or the date the license is required to be obtained by the provisions of this title.

(Ord. 91-29, 8/13/1991; Ord. 11-13 § 13, 6/28/2011)

No part of the license fee is refundable in any case.

(Ord. 11-13 § 14, 6/28/2011)

The Director shall procure the number of license receipts and dog license tags needed each year, and shall keep a register wherein shall be entered the name and address of each person to whom any dog license tag is issued, the number of such tag, the date of issuance thereof and a description of the dog for which issued.

(Ord. 91-29, 8/13/1991)

The Director shall not issue a dog license unless the applicant exhibits a certificate signed by a veterinarian, licensed either by the State of California or by any other State to practice veterinary medicine, that:

A. The period elapsing from the date of vaccination with approved rabies vaccine to the date of expiration of the license being issued does not exceed the time as established by the State or:

B. Such dog should not be vaccinated with rabies vaccine because such vaccination would jeopardize the health of such dog due to infirmity or other disability, which infirmity or other disability, and the estimated date of termination thereof, is shown on the face of the certificate to the satisfaction of the Director.

(Ord. 91-29, 8/13/1991)

When the Director issues a dog license, he shall show on the receipt the age of the dog, the date of last vaccination and, if the license was issued without proof of vaccination, the reason therefor.

(Ord. 91-29, 8/13/1991)

If, during a license period, a dog or cat is sold or title to the dog or cat is otherwise transferred to a new owner, such new owner may apply to the Director for a transfer of such dog's or cat's tag and license and pay a transfer fee of five dollars ($5.00). Upon receipt of such application and fee, the Director shall record the name and address of the new owner.

(Ord. 91-29, 8/13/1991; Ord. 01-12, 7/10/2001)

In case any license tag for an individual dog is lost or destroyed, a duplicate thereof may be procured from the Director upon the submission to the Director of such proof as he may require and upon the payment therefor of the sum of five dollars ($5.00).

(Ord. 91-29, 8/13/1991)

A license tag for an individual dog or cat shall be securely affixed to a collar, harness or other device which shall at all times be worn by such dog or cat, except while such dog or cat remains indoors or in any enclosed yard or pen. Alternatively, a cat may wear any form of identification approved under Chapter 8.90.

(Ord. 91-29, 8/13/1991; Ord. 01-12, 7/10/2001)

All dogs over the age of four (4) months must be implanted with an identifying microchip. The owner or custodian is required to provide the microchip number to the department, and shall notify the department and the national registry applicable to the implanted chip of a change of ownership of the dog, or a change of address or telephone number.

(Ord. 06-11, 12/12/2006)

A person shall not harbor or keep, or cause or permit to be harbored or kept, any unlicensed dog or cat in the City of Santa Clarita.

(Ord. 91-29, 8/13/1991; Ord. 01-12, 7/10/2001)

A person shall not attach to or keep upon any dog, or cause or permit to be attached to or kept upon any dog, any tag provided for in Section 8.20.010 of this chapter except a tag issued for such dog under the provisions of this chapter, or attach or keep upon or cause or permit to be attached to or kept upon any dog, or make or cause or permit to be made or have in possession, any counterfeit or imitation of any tag provided for in this chapter.

(Ord. 91-29, 8/13/1991)

An unauthorized person shall not remove from any dog or cat any collar or harness or other device to which is attached a license tag, or remove such tag or other identification therefrom.

(Ord. 91-29, 8/13/1991; Ord. 01-12, 7/10/2001)

In the event that all dogs are spayed or neutered, up to four (4) dogs may be kept pursuant to Section 17.62.030 (Keeping of Small Animals).

(Ord. 01-6, 2/27/2001; Ord. 13-8 § 4 (Exh. F), 6/11/2013)