Ord 2023-070 San Marcos, TX amending sec 6.030 Of the city code to eliminate the five -day holding excemtion for impounded stray cats.

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section it shall be the responsibility of that person or business to notify the owner of the animal being impounded, and the animal shall be held for three days after the animal control officer contacts the person or business in possession of the owner's contact information. It is the responsibility of the owner to visit the shelter before the expiration of the designated holding period to reclaim lost pets. (3) An animal impounded at the request of a peace officer as required by this chapter shall be kept for not less than five business days unless earlier reclaimed by the owner, or someone authorized by the owner, under acceptable conditions, or earlier euthanized as allowed by the chapter. It is the responsibility of the owner, or person authorized, to visit the shelter before the expiration of the designated holding period to reclaim impounded pets. (4) The following animals are not subject to a stray hold period, become the property of the city immediately upon impoundment, and may be dispositioned according to section 6.031: Animals less than three months of age with or without traceable identification. b. Animals voluntarily surrendered by their owner to the shelter or an animal control officer. C. Community cats without an ear tip or means of identification, for purposes of trap, neuter, and return (TNIR). (5) Transfer of ownership to the city occurs immediately upon completion of any required hold period, and the animal becomes the property of the city. (d) Redemption or reclaim of impounded animals. (1) Any owner of an animal that has been impounded under this chapter must reclaim the animal by personally visiting the animal services facility where it is impounded. Facility staff shall return the animal if the owner can provide sufficient proof of being the animal's owner and if such release will not impair the safety of the public or the animal. The owner of the animal must pay any and all fees assessed in accordance with the city's fee schedule, and must agree to abide by all of the requirements of this chapter. It is the responsibility of the owner to visit the shelter before the expiration of the designated holding period to reclaim a lost pet. (2) Any person whose pet has been impounded for abuse or neglect or has been impounded more than two times for running at large will be required to attend the animal service's responsible owner program, if available, before the animal is returned. Completion of the responsible owner program may be used as a requirement to have a citation for violation of this chapter dismissed by deferred adjudication. (3) If an animal that requires a permit is impounded by an animal control officer for violating this chapter and the owner cannot prove that he is in possession of all required permit(s), the owner must meet all requirements of the required permit(s) and must purchase said permit(s) before the animal may be released from the animal services facility. (4) If an animal that requires a rabies vaccination is impounded by the animal control officer for violating this chapter and the owner cannot prove that the animal has a current rabies vaccination, a citation for failing to vaccinate will be issued. A person commits an offense if he or she does not provide proof of their animal obtaining a current rabies vaccination and shall be cited again for violation of this chapter. Each subsequent day that passes after the five-day period shall be considered a separate offense. For the purposes of this section, a rabies tag alone is not sufficient proof of an animal's current rabies vaccination. (5) If an animal is impounded by an animal control officer for violating this chapter and the animal does not already have a registered microchip implanted, then the city will implant and register a microchip, and add it to the owner's fees, before releasing the animal from the animal services facility. The Created: 2023-08-04 12:37:53 [EST] (Supp. No. 36) Page 2 of 3