Sonoma Municipal Code Ch. 8.06 Prohibited Conduct

No person shall prevent, obstruct, hinder or interfere with an animal care and control officer in the performance of the officer’s duties under this title or state law. (Ord. 05-2012 § 2, 2012).

No person shall remove or attempt to remove any animal taken into custody by an animal care and control officer without the officer’s authorization. (Ord. 05-2012 § 2, 2012).

No person shall cause or aid in the escape of any animal sought for custody by an animal care and control officer. (Ord. 05-2012 § 2, 2012).

No person shall fail to comply with any lawful order of an animal care and control officer to present an animal for inspection. (Ord. 05-2012 § 2, 2012).

No person shall abandon any dog or cat in or upon any public street or other public place, or upon any private property or premises. (Ord. 05-2012 § 2, 2012).

Except as provided by SMC 8.06.070, no person shall cause, permit, or allow any dog to run at large upon any public street or other public place, or upon any private property without the permission of the property owner or premises other than those of the owner or other person in control of such dog, nor shall any person cause, permit, or allow any dog to be upon any public street or other public place unless the dog is restrained by a leash not to exceed six feet in length. This section does not apply to guide or service dogs while performing their duties for blind, hearing impaired and physically disabled people or police dogs while in the performance of their duties.

Any dog found at large in violation of this section may be impounded. (Ord. 05-2012 § 2, 2012).

A. Dogs are prohibited in all areas of Plaza Park, the Montini Preserve, and on the Sonoma Overlook Trail, regardless of whether they are restrained by a leash. Dogs are permitted in all other city park facilities, except in children’s playground areas of any city park; provided, that a waste bag dispensary is located within the park facility, and such dog is under the control of a competent person and under restraint by a leash not to exceed six feet in length. As used in this section, Plaza Park shall mean that property used for park purposes surrounded by 1st Street East, 1st Street West, Napa Street, and Spain Street, but excludes the sidewalks nearest the roadway and the area inside the park used for vehicular traffic or parking.

B. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the city council may prohibit or permit, as the case may be, dogs in certain parks pursuant to an approved special use permit or plaza use permit. (Ord. 08-2014 § 1, 2014; Ord. 05-2012 § 2, 2012).

A. Notwithstanding anything stated by this chapter, dogs shall be permitted off-leash in any area of a city park facility that has been designated a dog park by the city council.

B. When any dog is within the boundaries of any area designated an off-leash area pursuant to subsection (A) of this section, the dog owner or person in possession of the dog shall at all times remain in compliance with the following use regulations:

1. Dogs must wear a visible and current license attached to a collar or harness;

2. Aggressive, violent or attacking dog behavior shall not be permitted; and

3. Dog owners or persons in possession must remain within the designated off-leash area and supervise their dogs at all times. (Ord. 05-2012 § 2, 2012).

No person shall cause, permit, or, through failure to exercise due care or control, allow any livestock, fowl, or other animals to run at large upon any public street or other public place, or upon any private property or premises other than those of the owner or other person in control of such livestock, fowl, or animal. (Ord. 05-2012 § 2, 2012).

No person shall refuse to obey the conditions of any lawfully imposed quarantine or remove, tear, deface, mutilate, obscure or destroy or in any other manner whatsoever interfere with any placard, notice or proclamation declaring such quarantine, placed on or about the premises on which any of the animals so quarantined are located. (Ord. 05-2012 § 2, 2012).

No owner of any animal shall permit or allow such animal to enter or remain in any city building, except the city animal shelter and any other city building or part thereof designated by the city council. This section shall not apply to totally or partially blind persons, deaf or hearing impaired persons, or other disabled persons using assistance animals, law enforcement officers engaged in police work using dogs to assist them and such other persons as may be authorized by the animal care and control officer. (Ord. 05-2012 § 2, 2012).

No person shall sell, display, offer for sale, barter or give away any animal as a pet, prize, toy, premium or novelty, unless such person is the owner of such animal and such sale, display, offer for sale, barter or gift occurs on the owner’s premises or on the premises where the animal is boarded or kept. (Ord. 05-2012 § 2, 2012).

No owner of any exotic animal shall maintain such animal without proof of proper federal and state permits, inspections and other required approvals. (Ord. 05-2012 § 2, 2012).

The owner or other person in custody or control of any animal that bites a human being shall immediately notify the animal care and control officer of such bite, giving the name and address of the person bitten, if known to him/her, and shall comply with any quarantine instructions given by the animal care and control officer. Failure to comply with such quarantine instructions is cause for impoundment of the animal for the quarantine period. A violation of this section is an infraction punishable by applicable law. (Ord. 05-2012 § 2, 2012).

No owner or person in control of any animal shall permit such animal to interfere with the reasonable use and enjoyment of private residential property by continuous barking or howling.

It is the policy of the city to investigate or enforce this section only as follows:

A. Whenever the animal care and control officer has witnessed or otherwise has reasonable cause to believe this section has been violated, the animal care and control officer may issue a citation.

B. Whenever an alleged violation of this section is made, in writing, to the animal care and control officer by two or more persons residing in separate residences within the same street block or on properties adjoining the animal owner’s property, the animal care and control officer shall investigate and may issue a citation. As used in this subsection, “adjoining” shall mean any property that shares a common property line with the owner’s property, or is divided from the owner’s property by a public or private street, roadway or public right-of-way. (Ord. 05-2012 § 2, 2012).

No owner shall permit any animal to defecate on any public street or other public property without immediately cleaning or removing the excrement to a proper receptacle; or defecate on any private property other than that of its owner without the consent of the owner, lessee or other person in control of the private property. This section does not apply to a disabled person whose disability prevents compliance with this section. (Ord. 05-2012 § 2, 2012).

No person shall leave any animal confined in an unattended motor vehicle without adequate ventilation or in such a manner as to subject the animal to extreme temperature that may adversely affect the health or well-being of the animal.

A. If an animal is confined in an unattended vehicle in a manner giving an animal care and control officer or peace officer reasonable cause to believe that the health or well-being of the animal is being adversely affected, the officer may enter the vehicle to release the animal(s). The city shall not be liable for any damages resulting from the use of reasonable force to make such entry.

B. Any animal that has been confined in a vehicle in violation of this section may be immediately impounded in accordance with SMC 8.14.050. (Ord. 05-2012 § 2, 2012).

No person shall hitch, fasten or tether any dog or other animal in his possession or under his control at any location or place normally used by pedestrians and the general public, including, but not limited to, street crossings, sidewalks, park paths, public grounds, store entrances and lobbies, and other such places open to the public for sales or services, and pathways frequently used by the public on either public or private property.

A. This section does not apply to assistance animals while in the service of their owners or masters. (Ord. 05-2012 § 2, 2012).