§ 14-38. License Certificates and License Tags.
(a)
The Owner of a Dog or cat four months of age or older in Sarasota County shall obtain a License Certificate and License Tag for such Dog or cat each year, which shall be valid for one year from date of issuance.
(b)
Owners choosing to vaccinate Animals with approved triennial rabies vaccine must purchase an annual Rabies License Certificate and License Tag. The fees for License Certificates and License Tags shall be established by the Board.
(c)
All Veterinarians participating in the County must, upon administering a rabies vaccination, inform the Owner that the Dog or cat is required to be registered with the Department annually and offer the Owner the option of purchasing a License Tag from the Veterinarian or the Department.
(1)
A Veterinarian cannot charge more for the License Tag than is provided for by the Board and is responsible to the Department for all fees collected less any administrative or performance fee established by the Board. The Veterinarian must submit payment to the Department for each License Tag sold during the previous 30 days. Payment shall be made by check or money order payable to the Board and is to include any other accounting information or documentation required by the Department.
(2)
Veterinarians may elect to donate any applicable administrative fee for which they would otherwise be entitled to the Sarasota County Animal Medical Fund.
(3)
The Department at its discretion may authorize other organizations to sell License Tags to their customers or clients. To be authorized to sell License Tags, other organizations shall enter into a contract with the County.
(d)
It is a violation of this article for the Owner of a Dog or cat to refuse or fail to obtain a License Certificate or License Tag for the Dog or cat as required by this section. The lack of a License Tag on the collar or harness of Dogs or cats or the lack of approved license marking shall be deemed prima facie evidence that the Animal has not been licensed or vaccinated and of evidence of the violation of this article.
(1)
Each Dog or cat shall have a License Tag or shall be marked or tagged by a method approved by the Animal Services Director. Unless otherwise approved by the Animal Services Director, such tag or mark shall have a license identification number which corresponds to the number on the License Certificate. The color and shape of the License Tag issued by Sarasota County Animal Services shall be changed each fiscal year. No license identification tags or marks issued for one Animal shall be valid for another Animal. It is a violation of this article for any Person to possess or use a stolen, counterfeit or forged certificate, tag, or other document required by or issued pursuant to this article.
(2)
The License Tag shall be attached to the collar or harness of the Dog or cat and shall be worn at all times. This requirement shall not apply to: (i) any Dog actually engaged in the sport of hunting in authorized areas, at authorized times, and supervised by a competent Person; (ii) Dogs used by State, County or municipal law enforcement agencies in the exercise of their duties; or (iii) Dogs used to work livestock in areas of Sarasota County designated as Rural areas on the Future Land Use Map.
a.
Any Animal actively participating in a field trial, obedience trial, training exercise, conformation show and/or match or any other organized legal public competition, will not be required to wear its License Tag while participating in the activity. However, the handler must keep the License Tag on his or her person during the event. Dogs or cats kept in an enclosure such as a kennel or cage are not required to wear tags. License Tags for such animals shall be in the possession of the Owner.
b.
Authorized shelter and approved government agencies shall be exempt from the provisions of this section.
(3)
The Sarasota County License Certificate and License Tag or mark shall be issued by Animal Services, or any Licensed Veterinarian who enters into a written agreement with the County. The Board hereby authorizes the County Administrator or his designee to execute and administer such agreements on behalf of the County and collect the fee for the License Certificates and License Tags. Such certificates shall be executed in triplicate. A copy of the License Certificate shall be give to the Owner of the Animal, to the Animal Services Director and to the Veterinarian administering the inoculation. The copy retained by the Veterinarian shall be deemed to be the certificate of vaccination.
(4)
The costs of each Sarasota County Animal License Certificate and License Tag and duplicate shall be set by resolution of the Board of County Commissioners.
(5)
In the event of loss or destruction of the License Tag pursuant to this section, the Owner shall obtain a replacement tag and shall pay a fee set by resolution of the Board of County Commissioners.
(6)
The licensing requirements of this article shall not apply to Service Animals; provided, however, such Service Animals are vaccinated against rabies as provided herein, and are actually being used by a Service Animal User.
a.
There will be no tag fee assessed for Service Animals.
(7)
The registration and tag requirements of this article shall not apply to any Animal that will only remain in the County for a period of 90 days or less and for which the Department has been provided proof of domicile outside the County, a current, valid certificate of Rabies Vaccination, and any applicable registration, required license, or permit required by the laws of the jurisdiction of domicile. This exemption is not intended to apply to those Animals that are born and raised in the County for possible distribution outside the County.
a.
The Owner of a newly acquired Dog or cat shall have 30 days to register the Animal and obtain a tag for the Dog or cat. The provision does not excuse the previous Owner from any applicable registration or License Tag requirements. The Person named as the Owner and the address as it appears on the Registration Certificate shall be prima facie evidence of ownership and domicile of the Animal. The Department must be notified within 30 days of any change in the information contained in the Registration Certificate including the address or telephone number.
(e)
Within 14 days after a Dog has been classified as dangerous/vicious pursuant to the statute/ordinance, the owner of the Dog must obtain a Dangerous Dog/Vicious Dog certificate of registration from Animal Services. It is a violation of this article for the Owner of a Dog classified as dangerous/vicious to refuse or fail to obtain a Dangerous/Vicious Dog Certificate of Registration as required by this subsection. The certificate shall be renewed annually. Such certificates shall be issued only to Persons who are at least 18 years of age and who present to Animal Services sufficient evidence of:
(1)
A current certificate of rabies vaccination for the Dog;
(2)
A Secure Enclosure to confine a Dangerous/Vicious Dog and the posting on the premises with a clearly visible warning sign at each entry point that informs both children and adults of the presence of a Dangerous/Vicious Dog on the property; and
(3)
Permanent identification of the Dog, such as a tattoo on the inside thigh or ear or electronic implantation.
(f)
It is a violation of the article for the Owner of an Animal classified as Dangerous/Vicious to refuse or fail to sign the Affidavit acknowledging the Animal has been declared Dangerous/Vicious. Failure to sign the Affidavit will result in the issuance of a citation and the immediate impoundment of the Dangerous/Vicious Animal by Animal Services. In the event the Animal is impounded under this section, the Owner is responsible for the costs associated with the impoundment and daily maintenance of the Animal. The Animal will not be released to the Owner until such time that the Affidavit is signed by the Owner.
(Ord. No. 95-042, § 8, 5-9-1994; Ord. No. 97-044, § 1(8), 6-17-1997; Ord. No. 2004-111, § 3, 11-10-2004; Ord. No. 2009-050, § 3, 10-13-2009)