§ 6-4. General nuisances and habitual nuisances caused by animals.

(a)

Animals shall not be kept on property in a manner that causes a nuisance, creates unsanitary conditions; is a source of infestation by insects or rodents; creates physical conditions that endanger the health or safety of humans or other animals, that are detrimental to property values, or that tend to degrade the appearance of a neighborhood.

(b)

Whenever an animal defecates upon any property not owned, leased, rented, or otherwise in the care, custody, or control of the animal's owner, the animal's owner shall immediately remove and properly dispose of feces, as set forth in section 6-30, herein.

(c)

An owner must remove and properly dispose of feces and other animal wastes inside and outside of the owner's property so as to avoid nuisance causing odors.

(d)

No person shall maintain or feed any animal, domesticated or wild, in such manner that it: creates a nuisance; creates unsanitary conditions; is a source of infestation by insects or rodents; or creates physical conditions that endanger the health or safety of humans, that are detrimental to property values, or that tend to degrade the appearance of a neighborhood.

(e)

Destruction of another's property. It shall be a violation for the owner or person(s) in care and control of an animal to permit the animal to destroy or damage the property of another.

(f)

Penalty.

(1)

A citation may be issued to the owner or any person having custody of an animal for violation of this section when the city has received at least one (1) sworn affidavit from a resident which attest to the animal having committed a nuisance pursuant to this section or when the nuisance is witnessed by an officer of the police department.

(2)

Violators of this section shall be guilty of a municipal offense, punishable as provided in section 6-5 based upon the submitted affidavit or witnessed by an officer of the police department.

(3)

For the purpose of this section, "habitually" means at least three (3) separate occurrences within a time period of one (1) month of the first violation. Violators of a habitual offense will be issued a citation in the amount of two hundred fifty dollars ($250.00) per offense.

(Ord. No. 1998-01, § 1, 4-6-98; Ord. No. 2005-09, § 3, 5-2-05; Ord. No. 2005-15, § 1, 9-12-05; Ord. No. 2011-22, § 1, 11-7-11; Ord. No. 2017-01 , 2-6-17; Ord. No. 2017-06 , 4-3-17)