Soledad Municipal Code Ch. 6.12 Dogs

A. License and Tag Required. Every person owning or having charge, care or control over any dog shall, after his dog attains the age of four months, annually secure from the city clerk a license and tag for the dog. The tag shall be attached to a collar or harness upon the dog and during the term of the license shall remain so attached.

B. Vaccination. Every person owning or having charge, care or control over any dog shall, immediately after his dog attains the age of four months and at intervals of not more than twenty-four months thereafter, secure the vaccination of the dog by a licensed veterinarian with a canine antirabies vaccine of a type approved by the State Department of Public Health.

C. Confinement of Dogs Under Four Months. All dogs under four months of age shall be confined to the premises of, or kept under physical restraint by, the person owning or having charge, care or control of the dog; provided, however, that this subsection does not prevent the sale or transportation of a puppy four months old or younger.

D. Vaccination Prerequisite to Issuance of License. The city clerk shall not issue a license to any person for any dog until the person has submitted a certificate of vaccination approved by the chief animal control officer showing that the dog has been vaccinated in accordance with the provisions of this section.

(Prior code § 3-8)

All licenses shall be due on May 1st of each year and delinquent on June 1st of each year, except as otherwise provided by this chapter. Each application for a license shall state the age, sex, color and breed of the dog for which the license is desired and the name and address of the owner.

(Prior code § 3-9)

A. Every person owning or having charge, care or control over a spayed female or neutered male dog of the age of four months or over shall pay an annual license fee in an amount to be determined from time to time by resolution of the city council, to be paid between May 1st and May 31st, inclusive, of each year, or within thirty days after the owner of the dog establishes residence in the city, or within thirty days after the dog reaches the age of four months.

B. Every person owning or having charge, care or control over an unspayed female or unneutered male dog of the age of four months or over shall pay an annual license fee in an amount to be determined from time to time by resolution of the city council, to be paid between May 1st and May 31st, inclusive, of each year, or within thirty days after the owner of the dog establishes residence in the city, or within thirty days after the dog reaches the age of four months.

C. If the license fees set forth in subsection A or B of this section are not paid between May 1st and May 31st, inclusive, or within thirty days after the owner establishes residence within the city, or within thirty days after the dog reaches the age of four months, a penalty equal to the amount of the applicable fee shall be imposed, which is in addition to the license fee for the dog.

(Prior code § 3-10)

In the event any tag issued under this chapter is lost, destroyed or mutilated, the owner of the dog for whom it was issued may obtain a duplicate thereof, upon the payment of one dollar.

(Prior code § 3-11)

The city clerk shall keep a register wherein shall be kept the name with the address of the owner to whom the tag is issued, a description of the dog, the number of the tag given and the date of its issuance.

(Prior code § 3-12)

A. Commercial Kennel or Dog Hospital Licenses. Each commercial kennel or dog hospital shall pay an annual license fee, which license fee shall be in lieu of licenses for all dogs temporarily in such kennel and not owned by the person or persons operating the kennel or hospital. The amount of the license fee shall be established from time to time by resolution of the city council.

B. Duration. Kennel licenses shall be so issued for an annual period commencing on May 1st of each year and ending on April 30th of the following year.

C. Running at Large. No dog licensed under a kennel license shall be permitted to run at large 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.

(Prior code § 3-13; Ord. No. 738, § 3, 4-7-2021)

A. Dog Breeding License. Any person who wishes to engage in dog breeding, as defined in Section 6.04.020.E, within the city with the intent to sell the offspring must obtain a dog breeding license. It shall be unlawful for any person to engage in dog breeding without first obtaining a license from the city. The annual license fee for dog breeding shall be one hundred dollars per dog. This license shall not be in lieu of a business license for the sale of dogs, pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 5.05 Business License Taxes of this code, or the dog license that must be obtained for each dog involved in breeding pursuant to Section 6.12.030.

B. Application. An application for a license to breed dogs must be made in writing to the chief animal control officer and accompanied by the applicable licensing fee. This fee shall be nonrefundable. An application for renewal of a license shall be made at least forty-five days prior to the expiration thereof and shall be accompanied by the same fee required at the time for an original application. Complete applications shall be reviewed and approved or denied within thirty days of the date of submittal.

The application form shall include the following information:

1. The name and address of the applicant, the property owner or leaseholder;

2. The address, legal description or other sufficient identifying description of the property;

3. The number of dogs kept or expected to be kept on the property, in a number not to exceed four dogs over the age of four months;

4. The current license numbers of all dogs over four months of age located on the premises; and

5. Such additional information as may be required by the chief animal control officer to facilitate any required investigation.

C. Conditions for Issuance and Continued Validity of License.

1. Location. No dog breeding license shall be issued or renewed to any applicant where the housing structure for the dog(s) is located within fifty feet of any private residence, dwelling unit, apartment, motel, hotel, or other building used for human habitation.

2. Vaccination Prerequisite to Issuance of License. No dog breeding license shall be issued or renewed to any applicant until they have submitted certificates of vaccination approved by the chief animal control officer showing that each dog on the premises over two months of age has been vaccinated in accordance with the provisions of Section 6.12.010(B).

3. Compliance with Animal Control Regulations Generally. No dog breeding license may be issued or renewed to any applicant that does not comply with all general regulations relating to animals, set forth in Chapter 6.20 of this title. Compliance with such rules and regulations is a prerequisite to the issuance and continued validity of any license provided pursuant to this section.

4. Business License. No dog breeding license may be issued or renewed to any applicant without proof that the applicant has applied for a business license pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 5.04 of this code.

5. Compliance with Other Regulations. The city may establish regulations and standards relating to: the maximum number of dogs to be kept or maintained on the premises; the construction, sanitation, and maintenance of facilities; and any other regulations and standards in conformity with and for the purpose of carrying out the intent of this title. Compliance with such rules and regulations is a prerequisite to the issuance and continued validity of any license provided pursuant to this section. Additionally, the regulations set forth herein are not meant to supersede or supplant any regulations imposed by any other governmental entity, including the county and state, related to and required for dog breeding and sales in the city.

6. Inspection. As a condition to the issuance, renewal, or continued validity of a dog breeding license under this section, the chief animal control officer has the authority to inspect the premises at any reasonable time in accordance with Section 6.08.030.

D. Denial or revocation of license. The chief animal control officer may deny or revoke any license issued pursuant to this section in any of the following situations:

1. The chief animal control officer has determined that the applicant or license holder has committed a violation of this title or applicable state laws, fails to meet any of the conditions of the license, or has been convicted of cruelty to animals in this or any other state within the previous five years.

2. The chief animal control officer has reason to believe that the applicant or license holder has willfully withheld or falsified any information required for a license.

E. Duration. Dog breeding licenses shall be so issued for an annual period commencing on May 1st of each year and ending on April 30th of the following year.

F. Violations. Dogs kept in violation of this section are subject to impoundment in accordance with Chapter 6.24 of this title. Any person found to be engaged in breeding dogs for profit without a license or who otherwise violates the provisions of this section shall be guilty of an infraction, punishable by a fine of two hundred dollars. A person is guilty of a separate offense for each dog being bred without a license and for every day during which a violation of any of the provisions of section is committed, continued, or permitted by such person. These fines shall be in addition to any cost or fee provided for in Chapter 6.24 for the redemption or disposition of impounded animals. Fines and fees may be subject to reduction or waiver, subject to available city funding and in accordance with policies adopted by city council resolution, upon written verification that any dog released from impound has been spayed or neutered within thirty days of release.

G. The provisions of this section shall be in addition to any and all other authority granted by this Code or statute meant to achieve the same purpose stated herein.

(Ord. No. 738, § 3, 4-7-2021)

The provisions of this chapter requiring dog licenses shall not apply to:

A. Any dog owned by or in the charge or care of a nonresident of the city traveling through the city or temporarily sojourning therein for a period not exceeding thirty days, nor to any dog brought to the city exclusively for the purpose of entering the same in a dog show or dog exhibition, and entered for, and kept at any dog show or dog exhibition provided such dogs are not permitted to run at large;

B. Any dog owned by a person moving into the city which dog has been currently licensed by the county or by any of the cities of the county, during such time the person was a resident of the city or the county and having attached to its collar or harness a tag evidencing the existing unexpired license for such dog issued by the city or by the county, provided such dog has been vaccinated with a canine antirabies vaccine of a type approved by the State Department of Public Health within the previous twenty-four months.

(Prior code § 3-14)

No person shall fail or refuse to exhibit the registration of any dog required to be licensed by this chapter when required to do so by the animal control officer or any peace officer. A violation of this section is an infraction.

(Prior code § 3-15)

It is unlawful for any person owning or having charge, care or control of any dog, whether licensed and vaccinated or not, to suffer or permit any such dog to run at large within the city. A dog is running at large unless it is (A) restrained by a leash held by some person or made fast to some stationary object, or (B) confined within a cage or other dog-tight enclosure, or (C) accompanied by a person and is sufficiently trained to be reliably responsive to the recall company and control of the person, or (d) on the property of its owner other than roads, streets, alleys or ways over which other persons have a right to pass. A violation of this section is an infraction.

(Prior code § 3-16)

No owner or person having charge, custody or control of any dog shall permit, either wilfully or through failure to exercise due care to control, any such dog to defecate and to allow the feces thereafter to remain on any public sidewalk or park or any other public property, or any improved private property other than that of the owner or person who has custody or control of the dog; provided, however, that the foregoing does not apply to public or private street gutters. A violation of this section is an infraction.

(Prior code § 3-17)