Basically, you can't own anything other than a dog or cat without a permit. See Section 3-7, Permit to KEEP ANIMALS and FOWL



Katrina





http://www.cityofbluefield.com/index.asp?ID=82

Proposed Pet Ordinance



Section 3-40 SPAYING AND NEUTERING

It is the purpose of these sections to promote the health,

safety and general welfare of the residents of the city by reducing the number of stray dogs and cats. The council finds that each year hundreds of dogs and cats are euthanized because they are not wanted. It is the purpose of this section to eliminate the excessive number of unwanted animals and thereby stop the needless killing of these animals by restricting the breeding practices of pet owners and breeders through legislation that is both reasonable and enforceable.



It shall be unlawful to own, possess or keep in the City

any dog or cat over the age of six (6) months that has not been

spayed or neutered except as provided herein.



(a) Owners must alter their dogs and cats unless:



1. The pet is less than 6-months old; or



2. The owner has obtained an unaltered-animal permit from

the City Clerk to keep the pet intact with the cost of such permit to be $75.00 for the life of the animal; or



3. A licensed veterinarian states in writing that the

animal is medically unfit to undergo the procedure; or



4. The animal is kept in the City for fewer than 30 days

in. a one (1) year period.



(b) To qualify for an unaltered-animal permit, the owner must:



1. Satisfy the City Clerk that the permit is sought for a

proper purpose or purchase a breeding permit.



2. Have the pet examined regularly by a licensed

veterinarian; and



3. Have the pet vaccinated annually; and



4. Have the pet housed properly; and



5. Have had no more than one (1) violation of the animal

code in the preceding 24 months.



Section 3-41



Any person cited with violation of this article shall have

his or her citation dismissed if there is proof of compliance with the terms of this article within thirty (30) days of the date of the issuance if a summons for violation of this article.



Section 3-42



The Humane Officer servicing the City of Bluefield shall

issue a citation for any violation of this article.



Section 3-43



Any person convicted of violating this article shall be

fined $125.00 for each violation.



Section 3-44 BREEDING PERMIT



(a) No person shall cause or allow any dog or cat owned,

harbored or kept within the City of Bluefield to breed without first obtaining a breeding permit, as described below. The term "breeding permit" means a written authorization, issued annually by the City Clerk, giving its lawful holder permission to breed a dog or a cat.



(b) Each breeding permit shall be valid for one year from

the date of issuance, and may be renewed annually before its

expiration date. Each applicant for such a permit shall pay an

annual fee of seventy-five dollars ($75.00) per dog or cat. A

separate permit must be obtained for each owned dog or cat which is allowed to breed.



(c) The Bluefield Humane Officer shall enforce the animal

breeding permit program to allow the breeding of dogs and cats that are not sterilized consistent with criteria herein. Under no

circumstances shall such a permit be issued to a person who has been convicted of animal cruelty or neglect. All breeding permits shall contain the following terms and conditions:



1. The owner of a female dog or cat that is not sterilized

shall not allow the breeding of more than one litter per animal in any household within the permit year. Notwithstanding this

provision, the City Clerk is hereby authorized, upon application of a permittee, to allow on a one time basis the breeding of up to two

(2) dog or cat litters per breeding animal within any domestic

household within a permit year. In the event that a permittee is

forced to euthanize a litter of dogs or cats for medical reasons,

the City Clerk may authorize the breeding of one additional litter of dogs or cats within the same permit year by the permittee without penalty;



2. No offspring may be sold, adopted, bartered or

otherwise transferred, whether for compensation or otherwise, until it has reached the age of at least seven (7) weeks;



3. No offspring maybe sold, adopted, bartered or otherwise

transferred until immunized against common diseases. The sale,

adoption, bartering or transfer of a dog or cat shall include a

statement signed by the seller or adopter attesting to the

signatory's knowledge of the animal's health, and the animal's

immunization history;



4. Any holder of a breeding permit who advertises to the

public the availability of any dog or cat for sale, adoption or

transfer, whether for compensation or otherwise, must prominently

display the permit number in any such advertisement. Further, the

breeding permit holder must provide the permit number to any person who purchases, adopts or receives any animal from the permit holder and include the permit number on any receipt of sale or transfer

document;



5. Commercial establishments that sell dogs or cats bred

within the City of Bluefield shall prominently display the breeding permit number(s) of the breeder(s) whose dogs and cats are sold in said establishments and any other pertinent information required by the City Clerk. Commercial establishments that sell dogs and cats which were not bred within the City of Bluefield shall prominently display the name and address of the breeder(s) of such dogs and cats and any other pertinent information required by the City Clerk.



6. Any breeding permit holder selling or otherwise

transferring a dog or a cat, whether for compensation or otherwise, shall submit to the City Clerk the name, address and telephone number of the animal's new owner within five (5) days from the sale or other transfer, on a City approved form.



Section 3-45



(a) The penalty for conviction of violation of Section 3-

44 shall be a fine of one hundred fifty dollar ($150.00) for each

violation. This penalty shall not be waived by the transfer or

abandonment of the animal by the noncompliant owner.



(b) The City Clerk may revoke any permit issued pursuant

to this section upon a finding that the permit holder has violated its terms and conditions. Such a finding shall be made only after giving the owner of the animal in question notice of the violations and an opportunity to explain such violations to the City Clerk.



Section 3-7. Permit to KEEP ANIMALS and FOWL



a. No chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, live poultry or

fowl of any kind, horses, ponies, cows, calves, rabbits, guinea pigs or live animals of any kind except dogs and cats shall be kept in the city without the owner thereof having received a permit to keep the same from the City Clerk and approved by the city manager. No charge will be made for such permit, but such permit will only be granted upon agreement that the stable, barn, coop or other place where such animals, poultry or fowl are to be kept shall be constructed in such a manner that it can be kept and maintained in a dry, clean and sanitary condition, free from offensive odors. Applications for such permit shall be accompanied by a certificate of consent signed by a majority of the householders residing within a radius of five hundred (500 feet from the place where such stable, barn, coop, etc., is proposed to be located; provided, however, no barn, stable, coop or other place where animals, fowl or poultry are kept shall be built and maintained or used within fifty (50) feet of any house inhabited by human beings and unless built and maintained in a clean, dry and sanitary condition and free from offensive odors, and provided further, that none of the above enumerated poultry, fowl or animals shall be allowed to run at large, but shall be housed in a suitable enclosure. Such enclosure shall be kept thoroughly clean and unobjectionable at all times.

Upon the failure of any owner or occupant of any premises to comply with any of the provisions of this section, such barn, stable, coop, etc., shall be deemed a nuisance, and as such shall be removed or abated as provided by law.



b. No household shall keep within the City of Bluefield

more than three adult dogs or three adult cats without the owner

thereof having received a permit to keep the same from the City

Clerk and approved by the City Manager. No charge will be made for such a permit but such permit will only be granted upon a finding by the City Manager that keeping such numbers of animals will first be conducted in a manner meeting Mercer County Humane Society's standards of cleanliness, sanitation, freedom from offensive odors, and overcrowding. Applications for such permit shall be accompanied by a certificate of consent signed by a majority of the householders who are the immediate contiguous neighbors, neighbors directly across the street or across a rear boundary line or alley from the applicant. Such permits are conditional upon maintaining good conditions of cleanliness, etc., and upon continued consent of neighbors, and may be revoked for cause at any time. Any person having more than the permitted numbers of dogs and cats without a permit, or any person who continues to keep such numbers of dogs and

cats after revocation of a permit shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and fined $10.00 for every day that such condition continues to exist after citation or after revocation of such a permit. For the purposes of this section "person" shall mean a company, individual or family unit (whether composed of relatives or not) that shares a single living unit such as a house, apartment, etc.



Section 3-50 FORFEITURE of ANIMAL



In the event any person is convicted of three violations of

these ordinances with regard to keeping and maintaining animals,

then such persons shall forfeit the right to keep and maintain any animal within the corporate limits of the City of Bluefield. The Humane Officer for the City of Bluefield shall then be entitled to pick up and remove from the possession of any such person, any animal owned by them at any future date.

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