Chapter 6.04
DOGS AND CATS
Sections:
6.04.015 Dog licensing – Regulations – Universal license.
6.04.030 Control of dogs – Civil violations.
6.04.040 Animal waste – Owner responsibility.
6.04.045 Voluntary cat licensing –Regulations.
6.04.050 Control of cats – Civil violations.
6.04.060 Humane trapping or catching of dogs and cats – Procedure.
6.04.010 Dog control zone.
All of incorporated city of Sequim shall be designated a dog control zone in accordance with Chapter 16.10 RCW. (Ord. 99-007)
6.04.015 Dog licensing – Regulations – Universal license.
A. All dogs over the age of six months shall be licensed. A license is valid for one year from the date of purchase. The city may establish a license for microchipped and spayed or neutered dogs that is valid for the life of the dog. A late penalty shall be added if the owner fails to renew an expired license within 30 days of license expiration. There shall be a fee for replacement of any lost license tag. License fees may be paid to either city or private licensing outlets as designated by the city manager or by the city manager’s designee. An approved service charge in addition to the regularly set fees may be collected and retained by all private licensing outlets so designated for each dog license issued. Upon payment of the license fee, the licensing outlet shall give the owner of such dog a license and a metallic tag for each dog licensed and shall transmit the license form to the animal control authority who shall maintain records of all licenses.
B. The city of Sequim agrees to accept the Clallam County universal license to fulfill the city’s animal licensing requirements. City of Sequim lifetime licenses already issued shall continue to be accepted or a Clallam County universal license may be issued in its place, at the owner’s expense, at the same cost as a replacement tag.
C. All licenses issued pursuant to the chapter shall be dated and numbered, and shall bear the name “Clallam County universal license” and include the name and address of the owner of the dog and a description of the dog. If the owner presents proof that the dog is microchipped, the microchip number will be recorded on the license. A metallic tag bearing a serial number corresponding to the owner of the dog will be issued to the owner.
D. It shall be the duty of every owner to attach the valid metallic license tag to the collar worn by his/her dog when the dog is off the owner’s property. A dog with permanent, readily scannable microchip identification shall not be required to wear a collar with the metallic license tag attached; except, that neither the city nor the animal shelter shall be liable for the failure of a scanner to detect the presence of a microchip.
E. Upon the sale or other transfer of ownership of any dog, the dog shall be relicensed by the new owner.
F. All license fees, late penalties, and service charges collected under the provisions of this section, other than civil penalties and criminal fines, are set forth in SMC 6.16.010, the city fee and rate code and ordinance, or, for license fees, the Clallam County Code.
G. Exceptions. Licenses are not required in the following circumstances:
1. Nonresidents temporarily residing in the city of Sequim for a period of less than 60 days.
2. Dogs held for rehabilitation by a recognized rescue organization; except, that such dogs cannot be bred or held for longer than 90 days without licensing. (Ord. 2010-002 § 1 (Exh. A); Ord. 99-007)
6.04.020 Civil violations.
The following dog licensing regulations are designed to protect public health and safety and welfare of dogs. The owner of a dog shall license his/her dog as required in SMC 6.04.015. The violation of SMC 6.04.015(C), (D) or (E) is a Class 1 civil infraction. It is unlawful for any person to violate any of the following regulations:
A. Owning an unlicensed dog over the age of six months;
B. Owning a dog over the age of six months that is off its owner’s property while not wearing a collar with a current valid metallic license tag attached, or I.D. not otherwise permanently identified with a microchip that can be correlated with a license number, as provided for in SMC 6.04.015(C);
C. Owning a dog wearing a license tag registered to another dog;
D. Falsely representing whether any dog is neutered, nonneutered, spayed, nonspayed, or microchipped for the purpose of securing a dog license. (Ord. 99-007)
6.04.025 Dog(s) kept outside.
Every dog kept or left outdoors shall have food, water, and shelter available.
A. Food and water shall be available daily.
B. Shelter shall be available at all times and shall consist of a structure which has a watertight roof and is capable of protecting the dog from the elements. The structure must be large enough for the dog to enter, be able to stand up, turn around, and lay inside. (Ord. 99-007)
6.04.030 Control of dogs – Civil violations.
The following dog control regulations are designed to protect public health and safety and welfare of dogs. The owner of a dog is strictly liable to control the dog as required herein. This means that the penalty for violation of these regulations is imposed without regard to any wrongful intention of the violator. It is unlawful for the owner of a dog to fail to prevent said dog from:
A. Inflicting a bite on a human or animal (except poultry, rabbits, and cats that are allowed to roam off their owner’s property). Violation of this subsection A is a Class 1 civil infraction (RCW 7.80.120);
B. Running at large;
C. Not being under leash control while off the owner’s property;
D. Entering any place where food is stored, prepared, served or sold to the public, or any public building. This subsection does not apply to any dog serving the blind or deaf, or to dogs used by armored car services, private security companies, or law enforcement agencies;
E. Being accessible to other dogs, while in heat, for purposes other than controlled or planned breeding;
F. Chasing, running after, or jumping at vehicles using public roadways;
G. Snapping, growling, snarling, barking in a threatening manner or jumping upon, chasing, or otherwise threatening persons while the dog is not restrained and is off the property of the owner;
H. Howling, yelping, whining, barking, or making other noises in such a manner as to disturb any person or groups of persons to an unreasonable degree. The following non-exclusive examples are evidence of disturbing a person or group to an unreasonable degree:
1. Two or more complaints from different households within a 24-hour period directed to the animal control authority or police department with jurisdiction over the location of the dogs;
2. Barking, howling, yelping, or whining for more than one hour, documented via audio recordings;
3. Prolonged barking between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., documented via audio recordings;
Working dogs as defined in SMC 6.02.015 are exempt from this provision when they are engaged in the work for which they are trained and are behaving in accordance with their training;
I. Entering upon another person’s property without the authorization of that person;
J. Being kept, harbored, or maintained and known to have a contagious disease unless under the treatment of a licensed veterinarian;
K. Running in packs while off the owner’s property;
L. Damaging or destroying the property of another person, including destroying wildlife that has purposely been attracted to the person’s property;
M. Being staked, tethered, or kept on public property for longer than one hour without prior consent of the animal control officer;
N. Entering another’s property and injuring or killing any poultry, rabbits, or cats that are on their owner’s property. (Ord. 2021-013 § 1 (Exh. A); Ord. 99-007)
6.04.035 Unlawful release.
It is unlawful for a person to release any animal not belonging to them from a tether line, run, chain, fenced area, or other means used to restrain/secure the animal. The only exception would be if failure to release the animal would result in injury or death to the animal. (Ord. 99-007)
6.04.040 Animal waste – Owner responsibility.
The owner of any dog which defecates while off its owner’s property shall pick up, bag, and properly dispose of the waste. (Ord. 99-007)
6.04.045 Voluntary cat licensing –Regulations.
A. Any cat may be licensed at the option of the owner. License fees may be paid to either city or private licensing outlets as designated by the city manager. A service charge in addition to the regularly set fees may be collected and retained by all private licensing outlets designated by the city manager for each cat license issued. Upon payment of the license fee, the licensing outlet shall give the owner of such cat a license and metallic tag for each cat licensed.
B. All license fees and service charges collected under provisions of this section are set forth in SMC 6.16.010. (Ord. 99-007)
6.04.050 Control of cats – Civil violations.
The following cat control regulations are designed to protect public health and safety and welfare of cats. The owner of a cat is strictly liable to control his/her cat as required herein. This means that the penalty for violation of these regulations is imposed without regard to any wrongful intention of the violator. It is unlawful for the owner of a cat to fail to prevent said cat from:
A. Being accessible to other cats, while in heat, for purposes other than controlled or planned breeding;
B. Being kept, harbored or maintained and known to have a contagious disease unless under the treatment of a licensed veterinarian;
C. Being a threat to the safety of humans and/or other domestic animals;
D. Inflicting a bite on a human; damaging or destroying the property of another person, including destroying wildlife that has purposefully been attracted to the person’s property. (Ord. 99-007)
6.04.060 Humane trapping or catching of dogs and cats – Procedure.
Any person 18 years of age or older may humanely trap or catch any dog or cat that has entered the premises of that person’s property without the authority of that person. After trapping or catching any dog or cat the person shall deliver it to the city shelter or turn it over to the animal’s owner or the animal control officer within 24 hours. (Ord. 99-007)