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City of Washington, PA
Washington County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Code
New Laws (38) Index
[Adopted 11-3-1994 by Ord. No. 1482 (Ch. 2, Part 3, of the 1986 Code of Ordinances)]
As used in this article, the following terms have the meaning indicated, unless a different meaning clearly appears from the context:
CAT
A felis libyca domestica kept as a pet and/or for rodent control.
OWNER
Any person owning, keeping, feeding, harboring or having custody of a cat, or who allows a cat to reside or remain about his premises, shall be considered a "cat owner."
VACCINATION
The practice of inoculations with a vaccine to afford protection from rabies, as required by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection or other agency or department of the commonwealth.
A. 
It shall be unlawful for any owner to have any cat that becomes a nuisance in the City. Acts of nuisance shall include, but are expressly not restricted to, the following:
(1) 
Noise disturbance.
(2) 
Viciousness.
(3) 
Digging into flower beds, lawns, children's sandboxes, gardens or the damaging of shrubbery, trees, lawns, personal property not belonging to the owner of the cat, or the depositing of feces on public or private property.
B. 
No owner shall permit a cat to enter upon any area in any publicly owned park or playground.
C. 
Any owner of a cat shall comply with and be current with rabies vaccination requirements of the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania with regard to cats.
A. 
The City Code Officer or the person or agency designated by the governing body of the City shall enforce the provisions of this article. Upon receipt of a written complaint that a cat is a public nuisance, the Code Officer will investigate said complaint and, if found to be legitimate, the Code Officer shall authorize the seizure of the cat by the issuance of a humane-type cat trap to trap said cat alive. Traps will only be set during daylight hours. Trapping at night is prohibited.
B. 
The person who is issued the trap must notify the Code Officer as soon as possible after a cat is apprehended. The Code Officer and/or the person or agency designated by the City Council of the City will transport and deliver the cat to the Humane Society or other agency or facility for holding. If the Humane Society refuses to take the animal, the cat will be delivered to a veterinarian contracted with the City and held for 72 hours prior to being disposed of in a humane manner. If the cat so apprehended bears any identification of ownership, the Code Officer shall, on the date of apprehension, notify the owner that the animal has been apprehended and that it may be claimed at a designated location, subject to the provisions of this article.
C. 
Any cat may be claimed by its owner at the veterinarian during the custodial period, and said owner shall pay all costs for the care, maintenance and disposal of said cat at the prevailing veterinarian rate.
D. 
Any cat which has been seized pursuant to this article and which has not been reclaimed during the custodial period may be disposed of in a humane manner in accordance with standards generally followed by the Humane Society or as provided by the contracted veterinarian service, as set forth in Subsection B herein.
Only that number of cats which shall not constitute a nuisance or a risk to the public health or safety shall be kept, maintained or harbored in any residential housing unit or on its grounds.
If the owner of animals in violation of this article does not comply with a notice to abate the violation which constitutes a nuisance or health hazard within the time period described, the City shall have the authority to take measures to correct the conditions and collect the cost of such correction plus 10% of all costs. The City, in such event and pursuant to the statutory or otherwise authorized police powers, shall have the right and power to enter upon the offending premises to accomplish the foregoing. The enforcement authority of this provision shall contain the right to use all other enforcement provisions of this article.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 306, Licensing and Registration, adopted 11-3-1994 by Ord. 1482, was repealed 3-11-2004 by Ord. 1725.
It shall be unlawful for any person to own, keep, feed or harbor any cat which has been found to violate the provisions of this article. Any person found to violate the provisions of this article shall, upon conviction thereof, be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $300 and/or imprisonment for a term not to exceed 90 days.