Sebastopol Municipal Code Ch. 6.16 Dogs

Every owner of a dog which is four months of age or older, and which is kept in the City, shall obtain a license tag and annual license for such dog from the licensing agency and shall pay the annual fee imposed by a resolution of the City Council. This section shall not apply to a dog which is at all times kept within a residence.

The licensing agency shall not issue any dog license under this chapter without presentation of a certificate of vaccination signed by a veterinarian showing that the dog has been vaccinated with an approved rabies vaccine and the period of time from the date of vaccination to the date of expiration of the license being issued does not exceed the time interval prescribed by the State Department of Health. Where a certificate of vaccination shows that a dog should not be vaccinated due to infirmity or other disability, the nature of the infirmity or other disability and the estimated date of termination thereof shall be shown.

An annual dog license fee set by resolution of the City Council is imposed upon every dog four months and older which is kept in the City by any person who is an owner/guardian as defined in SMC 6.08.050. Such registration fee shall be reduced by at least 50 percent for spayed or neutered dogs and for dogs owned by persons 62 years of age or older, who furnish legal identification, if all other requirements for registration under this chapter are met. If a person 62 years or older is registering a neutered or spayed animal, then the fee shall be reduced 75 percent. The license fee is due and payable 30 days following the day upon which the dog is four months old, or 30 days following the day upon which the dog, if over the age of four months, is first owned by a resident of the City.

Upon each application for a license, the owner shall furnish to the Animal Control Officer in writing his or her name, the address where the dog is kept, the name, breed, age, sex and color of the dog, and proof of current vaccination. The Animal Control Officer shall furnish registration forms for such purpose and upon payment of the fee, and penalty, if any, shall issue a serially numbered license certificate and a metallic identification tag.

If a license tag is lost or destroyed, a duplicate or other tag in lieu thereof shall be procured from the licensing agency within 30 days after loss or destruction. Upon receiving payment of a replacement fee, the licensing agency shall issue a replacement tag to the owner/guardian.

The dog license tag issued to any dog licensed pursuant to this chapter shall be securely affixed to a collar, harness, or other device and shall be worn by such dog at all times that the dog is in the City, except when the dog is confined in a commercial kennel, hobby kennel, or veterinary facility, or it is being exhibited at a show, field trial or other competition. The license tag shall be shown by the owner/guardian at any time upon demand by the licensing agency or its representatives.

A. No person owning or otherwise having a dog in his or her care, charge, control, custody or possession shall cause, permit or allow such dog to be in or upon any public street, road, alley, park, or other public place unless such dog is restrained and under control by a leash or confined in a vehicle in a manner allowed under SMC 6.10.160.

B. The restraint requirements provided in this section shall not apply to a service or assistance dog, a dog participating in field or obedience trials, animal exhibitions or training, or a dog assisting a police officer engaged in law enforcement duties, so long as the owner/guardian or custodian of such a dog has been issued a written permit by an Animal Control Officer allowing the dog to be off its leash. Such permit shall be in the possession of the owner/guardian or possessor of the dog at the time the dog is off its leash and shall be displayed on request of an Animal Control Officer.

C. No person owning or otherwise having a dog in his or her care, charge, control, custody or possession shall cause, permit, or allow such dog to enter upon private property without consent of the person in possession of the property or to defecate upon, or to damage or destroy, any lawns, trees, shrubs, or other plantings, or any other improvement or thing of value on such private property.

D. No person owning or otherwise having a dog in his or her care, charge, control, custody or possession shall permit or allow any animal to defecate on any public or private property, other than the property of its owner/guardian, without immediately cleaning or removing the excrement to a proper receptacle.

E. Any animal found in any public place, or upon private property of another without the consent of the owner/guardian or possessor of the private property, in violation of this section, may be impounded.

Any unsterilized dog which has twice been impounded off of the property of the owner/guardian for violation of restraint requirements shall be spayed or neutered prior to redemption by the owner and microchipped. The costs for such spaying/neutering and microchipping shall be added to the redemption fees.

A. Any unsterilized dog or cat which is impounded by any agency, or combination of agencies within this County, twice or more from the same owner/guardian and the same address, within the lifetime of the animal, shall be sterilized at the owner/guardian’s expense prior to redemption. At the option of the owner/guardian, a private veterinarian designated by the owner/guardian may perform the required spaying or neutering. The impounding agency may require that transportation to such private veterinarian be performed by the impounding agency.

B. Any owner/guardian of an impounded animal subject to mandatory sterilization under subsection A of this section may request, in writing, within five calendar days following notice of the second impoundment, a hearing to be conducted by the director of the impounding agency or his or her designee. Such hearing shall be held within five calendar days of such request and shall determine whether good cause exists for an exemption from the provisions of subsection A of this section. If no good cause is established, then the animal shall be ordered to be spayed or neutered prior to redemption.

C. Good cause for an exemption from mandatory sterilization shall exist if the animal was at large due to an act of God, emergency, or other mitigating factor not caused by the negligence of the owner/guardian, person in control of the animal, or their agents. The burden of proof to establish good cause for an exemption shall be upon the owner/guardian and shall be established by a preponderance of the evidence.

Dogs are prohibited in public parks and playground areas unless such dogs are under physical restraint by a person capable of controlling the dog by means of a leash. This provision shall not apply to any area specifically designated as a dog park or off-leash exercise area.