[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Council of
the Town of Mansfield as indicated in article histories. Amendments
noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 5-22-2006, effective 6-16-2006]
This article shall be known and may be cited
as “The Ordinance Regulating Cats” or the “Cat Population
Control Ordinance.”
The Town Council of the Town of Mansfield finds
that there is an overpopulation of stray and unwanted cats in the
Town, evidenced in part by the impoundment of an increasing number
of cats every year during the past six years by the Animal Control
Officer. It is the purpose of this article to promote the health,
safety and general welfare of the residents of the Town of Mansfield
by reducing the number of stray/abandoned cats. This article shall
serve to reduce the excessive numbers of unwanted animals and thereby
contribute to the welfare of cats and elimination of unnecessary euthanization
of “surplus” cats by restricting the breeding practices
of pet owners and breeders. It is also found that other communities
with such ordinances have experienced significant decreases in the
number of cat surrenders.
A.
No person shall own, harbor or keep a cat over the age of six months which has not been spayed or neutered, unless such person holds an unaltered animal permit for the animal (see § 102-5, Unaltered animal certification; administration, below). Any such person who violates this provision may be cited and fined by the Animal Control Officer for such violation.
B.
Any person intentionally providing care or sustenance
for a cat shall be deemed to be the owner and shall comply with this
section.
C.
Any owner of an unaltered cat who has been cited or
fined by the Animal Control Officer for failing to obtain a permit
shall have his or her citation or fine dismissed if proof of altering
in the form of an official neuter or spay certificate is presented
within 30 days of the issuance of the citation or the owner obtains
the necessary permit within 30 days of the issuance of the citation
and the animal has not reproduced.
E.
Those complying will not be subject to penalty for
having an unaltered animal on the premises if they are willing to
surrender it to the Animal Control Officer.
A.
Anyone who violates this article shall be given notice
of such violation by certified mail, return receipt requested, addressed
to said person at his/her last known address, or by personal service
by the Animal Control Officer. If such violation is not cured within
seven days after receipt of such notice, a penalty may be assessed
by the Animal Control Officer. The penalty for violation of this article
shall be $90, payable to the municipal Neuter Assistance and Education
Fund. If the violation is not corrected within 30 days and the fine
is not paid, the continuing violation becomes a second offense, the
fine for which shall be an additional $90. A fine of $90 will be assessed
for each additional thirty-day violation.
B.
The Animal Control Officer may, at his/her discretion,
waive the citation and/or penalty if the animal(s) is surrendered
to the Animal Control Department for placement, or for other good
cause to be determined by the Animal Control Officer.
The Animal Control Department shall administer
a permit program to allow for unaltered animals over the age of six
months when the following conditions have been met:
A.
The annual permit fee of $75 is paid at the time of
application and upon each annual renewal.
B.
The animal is examined annually by a licensed veterinarian
and is following the preventative program recommended by the veterinarian.
C.
The animal is current on rabies vaccination.
D.
The owner otherwise complies with any applicable local/state
law concerning the care and housing of animals and has not been in
violation of animal-related ordinances/laws in the past 24 months.
E.
The owner furnishes the Animal Control Officer with
a signed statement agreeing to the following conditions:
(1)
Offspring of the unaltered animal will not be sold
or adopted until they are at least eight weeks of age.
(2)
Records will be kept documenting how many offspring
were produced and who adopted or purchased them (name, address, phone
number).
(3)
Offspring must be immunized against common diseases.
(4)
The seller/adopter must disclose the permit number
in any advertisement.
On a first or subsequent impoundment of a cat,
the Animal Control Officer may require that, as a condition for return
to its owner or keeper:
Persons owning animals in the care of the following
organizations or meeting the following conditions are exempt from
the provisions of this article:
A.
Animal shelters and rescue organizations that have
implemented an ongoing spay/neuter program.
B.
Medical: A licensed veterinarian has determined that
an animal is medically unsuited to undergo the surgical procedure
and has signed a statement to that effect specifying the medical grounds
for the exemption.
C.
Temporary medical: The veterinarian may specify a
temporary medical condition, including the prognosis of when the surgery
may be performed, which shall become the expiration date of the temporary
exemption.
D.
Transitory status: An animal is temporarily in the
Town to participate in a show or event sponsored by a nonprofit, sanctioned
animal organization.
All fees and penalties collected under the provisions
of this article shall be deposited into a special fund known as the
“Neuter Assistance and Education Fund” (“the Fund”).
The purpose of the Fund shall be to offer financial assistance to
qualified residents for the spaying and neutering of their cats and
to create public awareness regarding efforts to control pet overpopulation
in the Town. Additionally, the Animal Control Department shall maintain
a current list of resources for reduced-price spay/neuter services
for distribution to residents of the Town.
A person shall not display any cat in a public
place for the purpose of selling or giving the animal away. The term
“public place” shall include but not be limited to streets,
highways, areas exterior to shops or businesses, carnivals, sidewalks
and flea markets. This section does not apply to a registered rescue
group or animal welfare society.
No owner or keeper of any cat or kitten shall
allow such cat or kitten to roam at large if the cat or kitten is
not altered. Any such owner or keeper who violates this section will
be subject to a citation and fine of $90 by the Animal Control Officer.
Any person fined pursuant to this article may appeal such fine pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 129, Hearing Procedure for Citations.
Whenever used, the singular number shall include
the plural, the plural the singular, and the use of either gender
shall include both genders.
[Adopted 1-11-2016, effective 2-11-2016]
This article shall be known and may be cited as the "Dog Waste
Control Ordinance."
This article is enacted pursuant to the provisions of Sections
7-148 and 7-152c of the Connecticut General Statutes.
When used in this article, the following words, terms and phrases,
and their derivations shall have the meanings ascribed to them in
this section, except where the content clearly indicates a different
meaning.
Any member of the canine species, male, female, neutered
male or spayed female.
Any person or persons, firm, association, partnership, LLC
or corporation having temporary or permanent custody of, sheltering
or having charge of, harboring, exercising control over, or having
property rights to a dog, or in the case of a person under the age
of 18, the person's parent or legal guardian. A dog shall be
deemed to be harbored if it is fed or sheltered for three consecutive
days.
Public areas in the Storrs Center Special Design District,
and sidewalks, recreation fields, playing fields, school grounds and
playgrounds owned, leased or maintained by the Town.
If any dog shall defecate on any public property, the owner
of such dog shall immediately use a plastic bag or other suitable
container to remove or cause to be removed from the property all feces
deposited by the dog and deposit it in an appropriate waste receptacle.
If such feces are not removed or so deposited, the owner of the dog
shall be in violation of this article.
A.
The Town Manager may designate, in writing, one or more Town officials,
employees or agents empowered to take enforcement action authorized
by this article.
B.
Any violation of this article shall be punishable by a fine of $50. The citation issued to the offender shall note that if the fine is not paid within 10 days of issuance of the citation, the amount of the fine will be doubled and that the Town may initiate proceedings under the authority of C.G.S. Section 7-152c and Chapter 129 of this Code of Ordinances to collect the fine. The alleged offender must also be informed that he, she or it may appeal the citation and fine pursuant to Section 129-10 of the Hearing Procedure for Citations Ordinance.
The provisions of this article do not apply to a guide dog accompanying
any blind person or mobility-impaired person.
