Watsonville Municipal Code Art. 3 Impoundment

(a) The Director of Animal Control shall hold any stray animal impounded under the provisions of this chapter for a period of not less than three (3) working days.

(b) If by a license tag or other means the owner of an impounded animal can be identified, the Director of Animal Control shall immediately, upon impoundment, notify the owner by telephone, mail, or red tag.

(c) Any animal not reclaimed by its owner within three (3) working days (includes Saturday) shall become the property of the City and shall either be placed for adoption or be humanely destroyed at the discretion of the Director of Animal Control.

(§ 1, Ord. 886-92 C-M, eff. April 9, 1992)

The City shall be entitled to charge and receive from the owner fees and charges for services and costs described in this chapter as set by resolution of the Council.

(§ 1, Ord. 886-92 C-M, eff. April 9, 1992, as amended by § 1, Ord. 1256-10 (CM), eff. May 27, 2010)

(a) Whenever an owner objects to payment of impound charges on the grounds that the impoundment of his/her animal was not lawfully accomplished as provided in this chapter, the owner shall be notified that he or she has a right to an administrative hearing before the Director of Animal Control personally (or before some other impartial officer or official designated by the Director of Animal Control for this purpose) on the sole issue of the lawfulness of the seizure of the animal. Said hearing shall be held no later than twelve (business) hours after a request is made by the owner. The owner shall pay any and all care and feeding and other lawful charges prior to any impoundment hearing.

(b) The hearing shall be informal and the owner, the impounding officer and any other person with personal knowledge of any fact relevant to the issue of the lawfulness of the seizure of the animal may appear and testify.

(c) If no hearing is requested within forty-eight (48) hours after notification of a right to hearing or if a hearing is held and the hearing officer determines that the animal was lawfully impounded, the owner shall pay all impound charges required by law before the animal is released from the pound. If the owner refuses to make such payment, the Director of Animal Control shall dispose of the animal as provided in Section 6-1.301(c) of this chapter. If after hearing, the Director of Animal Control Determines that the animal was not lawfully impounded, the animal shall be returned to its owner and no impound charges of any kind shall be imposed.

(§ 1, Ord. 886-92 C-M, eff. April 9, 1992)

Any animal may be reclaimed by the owner at the animal shelter before any disposition thereof by paying all fees and charges that have been incurred or have accrued up to the time of reclamation.

(§ 1, Ord. 886-92 C-M, eff. April 9, 1992)

The Director of Animal Control shall keep a record of each animal impounded, the date and manner of its disposal, and, if redeemed, reclaimed, or adopted, the name of the person by whom redeemed, reclaimed, or adopted, the address of such person, and the amounts of all fees received or collected for or because of the impounding, reclaiming, or adopting thereof, together with the number of any tag and the date of any license exhibited or issued upon the redemption or adoption of any such animal.

(§ 1, Ord. 886-92 C-M, eff. April 9, 1992)