FAQ
Frequently asked questions:
Are swine allowed to be kept in the City Limits?
Each household or business may keep up to two miniature swine which much be spayed or neutered and must be housed indoors. All miniature swine must receive annual vaccinations against erysipelas, parvovirus and leptospirosis beginning at four months of age. It is unlawful for any person to keep any other type of swine within the city.
Must animals — including dogs — be kept on a leash or otherwise contained?
Yes. Sec. 2.01.004 states that it “shall be unlawful for any dog or other animal or fowl possessed, kept, or harbored to run at large.”
My neighbor’s dogs bark constantly and at all hours of the night, is this a violation?
Yes, the following are considered nuisances under the animal control chapter:
(1) The keeping of any animal which, by causing frequent or long-continued barking, cry, or noise, shall disturb any person of ordinary sensibilities in the vicinity.
(2) The keeping of any animal in such a manner as to endanger the public health, to annoy neighbors by the accumulation of animal wastes which cause foul and offensive odors, or are considered to be a hazard to any other animal or human being, or by continued presence on the premises of another.
(3) The keeping of bees in such a manner as to deny the lawful use of adjacent property or endanger personal health and welfare.
Can I keep livestock within the City limits?
Yes, with certain restrictions. One horse, donkey, mule, or other animal of the equine family or any cow, calf, steer or bull or other member of the bovine family or any sheep, ram, ewe, lamb, or any goat, billy, nanny, or kid or any emu, ostrich, or rhea per 7,500 square feet of lot area.
Such animals must be kept one hundred (100) feet away from any residence or building used for human habitation (other than that of the keeper or owner of such animal), any restaurant, cafe, or other public eating place or any church, school or hospital. If such animal is kept in or confined by any building or structure such as a stable, barn, shed, pen, or fence, such distance of 100 feet shall be measured in a straight line from the nearest point of such building or structure, to the nearest point of such residence or building used for human habitation, restaurant, cafe other public eating place or church, school, or hospital.
Smaller animals, including any rabbits, guinea pigs, pigeons, chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks, peafowl, or other fowl cannot be kept within fifty (50) feet of any residence, church, school, hospital, convalescent home, or nursing home, other than the residence of the keeper, possessor or owner of such animal or fowl.
All litter and droppings from any animal or fowl shall be collected daily in a container or receptacle of such type that when closed is ratproof and flytight, and after each collection such container or receptacle shall be kept closed and ratproof, and flytight, and such keeper shall maintain such container or receptacle in such condition as to prevent the escape of odor therefrom. Such litter or droppings so collected shall be disposed of in such a way as not to permit fly breeding.
Can I keep wild animals inside the City limits?
No. It is unlawful to keep any wild animal inside the city. “Wild animal”is defined as all species of animals which commonly exist in a natural unconfined state and are usually not domesticated. This shall apply regardless of state or duration of captivity. It is likewise unlawful to release or allow to run at large any wild or vicious animal.
Can I keep my dog tied up to keep them from running loose or leaving my property?
No dog or puppy may be restrained by a fixed point chain or tether for more than three hours in a 24-hour period. Any restraint used for a longer period shall be at least ten feet in length and attached to a pulley or trolley mounted on a cable which is also at least ten feet in length and mounted no more than seven feet above the ground. Any tethering employed shall not allow the dog or puppy to leave the owner’s property. No chain or tether shall weigh more than one-eighth of the dog or puppy’s weight. No chain or tether used for any restraint shall utilize a pinch, prong, or choke-type collar and must be attached to a properly fitting collar or harness worn by the animal.
I have a litter of puppies that I would like to give away, can I do so in the parking lot of a local business?
No. It is a violation of Sec. 2.01.010 to sell, offer to sale, barter, trade, exchange, or give away an in a public place. A public place is defined as “any place to which the public or a substantial group of the public has access and includes, but is not limited to, streets, highways, public rights-of-way, sidewalks, open air markets, flea markets, trade days, parking areas and parking lots, and the common areas of schools, hospitals, apartment houses, office buildings, transport facilities and shops.”
I am having trouble with varmints on my property? Can I set a trap for them?
Following the payment of the appropriate fee, a city-owned animal trap may be borrowed for a period of up to seven days. Once an animal has been trapped, the resident must notify animal control so that it can be removed.