South Pasadena Municipal Code Art. I In General

Unless it is apparent from the context that another meaning is intended, the following words or terms, when used in this article, shall have the meaning attached to them by this section:

“Improved lot” means any lot or parcel of land on which is located a dwelling house, occupied or unoccupied.

“Lot or parcel of land” means any area of land in the city under one ownership as shown on the last assessor’s roll of the county or the records of the city, whichever is the most recent, or any area of land under legal control of any person. (Ord. No. 875, § 1.)

It is declared to be a nuisance and it is unlawful for any person to keep or maintain within the city more than twelve pigeons or doves; provided, however, when unnecessary hardships occur by reason of the strict enforcement of this limitation, the planning commission upon written application of any owner of pigeons or doves may annually grant a permit to keep more than twelve under such conditions as may be appropriate; and provided, further, that homing and racing pigeons shall be kept and liberated only as set forth in section 5.4-2. (Ord. No. 1301, § 1; Ord. No. 1435, § 1; Ord. No. 1983, § 18.)

Before the variance may be granted, it shall be shown that special circumstances exist which do not apply generally to other persons or property in the city. It must also be shown that the granting of the variance will not result in material damage or prejudice to other persons or property in the vicinity of the owner’s premises nor detrimental to the public safety or welfare. A filing fee of five dollars shall be paid with each annual application for a variance.

Any variance issued pursuant hereto shall be good only for the remainder of the year in which it is issued and shall come up for renewal during January of each year thereafter. It may be revoked or suspended by the planning commission, as in its discretion may seem just and meet, for any violation of the conditions of the variance or of any laws or ordinances of the city. Such revocation or suspension shall be made only upon a hearing granted to the holder of the variance so revoked and suspended, which hearing shall be held before the planning commission after five days’ notice mailed to such variance holder. Said notice shall state the grounds of complaint against the variance holder and shall set the time and place where such hearing will be held. (Ord. No. 1301, § 1; Ord. No. 1983, § 18.)

(a) It is hereby declared to be a nuisance and it shall be unlawful for any person to feed, provide food, keep, pasture, house or maintain in the city any rooster, gander, peafowl or guinea hen.

(b) Violations of this section shall be punished by imposition of a fine in an amount not to exceed $100.00 for a first conviction, $150.00 for a second conviction within one year, and $250.00 for each additional conviction with one year. Nuisances under this section may be subject to reasonable abatement procedures, consistent with due process of law, or a restraining order or injunction issued by court of competent jurisdiction. The decision of whether to abate or prosecute a nuisance under this section shall be made on a case-by-case basis by the chief of police or their designee. (Ord. No. 875, § 8; Ord. No. 1170, § 1; Ord. No. 2367, § 1, 2022.)

It is declared to be a nuisance and it is unlawful for any person to keep, pasture, feed, or maintain in the city any horse, mule, pony, burro or donkey within fifty feet of the property line of any adjoining improved lot or parcel of land or within one hundred feet of any dwelling other than that occupied by such person. Existing stables which predated the placement of dwellings within one hundred feet thereof shall be excepted from the terms of this section until such times as declared to be a nuisance by the health department. (Ord. 875, § 3; Ord. No. 1525, § 1.)

It is unlawful for any person keeping, pasturing, feeding or maintaining any of the animals mentioned in the two preceding sections to fail, refuse or neglect to keep and maintain on the premises at least one effective fly-killer or fly trap in good working order for every fifteen or fractional part thereof in number of such animals. (Ord. No. 875, § 3.)

It is unlawful for any person to leave unfastened and unattended any horse or mule upon any public street, alley or place within the corporate limits of the city or upon any lot, way or place opening into any such public street, alley or place. (Ord. No. 276, § 1.)

It is unlawful for any person in hitching or fastening any horse or mule as required by the preceding section, when using a weight therefor, to use a weight that shall weigh less than twenty pounds. (Ord. No. 276, § 2.)

A team of two horses, or two mules, may be hitched or fastened by a proper hook on the wagon drawn by such team, to which hook the team is hitched by fastening the lines to such hook in such a manner that the team cannot move forward. (Ord. No. 276, § 3.)

It is unlawful for any person to hitch or fasten any horse, mule or other animal to any shade or ornamental tree along any public street, alley or place within the city; or to hitch or fasten such animal near enough to any such shade or ornamental tree to permit or enable such animal to mutilate, injure or destroy such tree. (Ord. No. 276, § 4.)

It is declared to be a nuisance and it is unlawful for any person to keep, pasture or maintain in the city any sheep within five hundred feet of any dwelling other than that occupied by such person. (Ord. No. 875, § 4.)

It is declared to be a nuisance and it is unlawful for any person to keep, pasture or maintain in the city more than two female goats and then only at a distance of not less than one hundred and fifty feet from any dwelling other than that occupied by such person. Male goats shall not be kept in the city. (Ord. No. 875, §§ 6, 8; Ord. No. 1170, § 1.)

It is hereby declared to be a nuisance and it shall be unlawful for any person to keep, pasture, house or maintain in the city any hogs, pigs or swine. There shall be exempt from this section a pig known as Shari Pei or Vietnamese or Asian or Potbellied Pig. There shall not be more than one such animal per household, lot or parcel of land and/or improved lot, except for a commercial pet store.

(a) No person owning or having charge or control of any potbellied pig shall cause or permit the same to be or to run at large upon any street, lane, court or other public place, or upon any private property other than that of the person owning or having charge or control of such pig, in the city, unless such pig is restrained by a substantial chain or leash not to exceed six feet in length and is in the care and control of a competent person.

(b) No person owning or having charge or control of any potbellied pig shall knowingly or through failure to exercise due care or control permit such pig to defecate or regurgitate and allow such excrement to therefore remain in excess of five minutes in any public park, upon the sidewalk or parkway of any street, or upon any private property without the consent of the owner or occupant thereof. (Ord. No. 875, § 8; Ord. No. 1170, § 1; Ord. No. 1999, § 1; Ord. No. 2037 § 3.)

It is hereby declared to be a nuisance and it shall be unlawful for any person to keep, house, maintain or permit upon any parcel of land in the city, whether domesticated or tamed or not, any monkey, ape, poisonous reptile, jaguar, leopard, lynx, tiger, lion, ocelot, bobcat, catamount, cheetah, mountain lion, wildcat, panther or bear, except by a circus or sideshow duly licensed to do business in the city. Nothing herein shall be deemed to prohibit the keeping of felis catus, otherwise known as the domestic or house cat. (Ord. No. 875, § 8; Ord. No. 1170, § 1; Ord. No. 1377, § 1.)

It is hereby declared to be a nuisance and it shall be unlawful for any person to keep or maintain in the city any bees or a colony, hive or nook of bees within two hundred feet of any outdoor swimming pool other than that owned and possessed by such person. (Ord. No. 875, § 7; Ord. No. 998, § 1.)

It is hereby declared to be a nuisance and it shall be unlawful for any person to keep or maintain within the city more than three colonies, hives or nooks of bees. (Ord. No. 875, § 7; Ord. No. 998, § 1.)

The keeping or permitting of any dog, fowl or other animal on any parcel of land within the city limits, the sounds or cries of which causes discomfort or annoyance to reasonable persons of normal sensitiveness or which unreasonably endangers the health, repose, peace or comfort of residents in the area is declared to be a public nuisance.

The sound or cry of any dog, fowl or other animal shall be found to cause discomfort, annoyance or endanger the health, repose, peace or comfort of a reasonable person when three or more complaints from different residents regarding a specific animal or group of animals are received within a period of seven days.

Nuisances under this section may be subject to reasonable abatement procedures, consistent with due process of law, or a restraining order or injunction issued by court of competent jurisdiction. As an alternate to abatement, nuisances under this section may be found to constitute an infraction of the Municipal Code for the first offense, and a misdemeanor for any subsequent offense, under Municipal Code 1.aZ. The decision whether to abate a nuisance under this section shall be made on a case-by-case basis by the chief of police or his/her designee. (Ord. No. 875, § 23; Ord. No. 2031, § 1.)

(a) It is hereby declared to be a nuisance and it shall be unlawful for any person to keep or permit upon any premises owned, controlled or occupied by such person in the city, any chicken coop, rabbit hutch, corral, yard, kennel, stable, cow shed, horse shed or

horse picket line in a foul, offensive, noxious or filthy condition.

(b) It is declared to be a nuisance, and it is unlawful for any person keeping any fowl or animal in the city to fail or neglect to cause the manure therefrom to be completely removed from the premises at least once in every twenty-four hours, unless such manure is kept in a sound container of metal, brick, stone, concrete or of wood or planks not less than one inch in thickness. Such container shall at all times be kept covered and inaccessible to flies.

(c) It is declared to be a nuisance and it is unlawful for any person to keep or permit to be kept in the city, manure in any container for a longer period than seven days, or to fail to clean and disinfect such container when ordered so to do by any health officer. (Ord. No. 875, § 14.)