Anniston, Alabama

Sec. 4.31 – Registration; fee.

(b) License for dogs and cats. The owner or person in charge of a dog or cat that is required to be registered, as set forth above in subsection (a), shall obtain either an annual or lifetime license for each dog or cat from the City of Anniston or its authorized agent. The annual license shall be effective for three hundred sixty-five (365) days from the date of issuance and must be renewed each year before its expiration during the lifetime of the dog or cat. The lifetime license shall only be issued for a dog or cat that has been spayed or neutered, and it shall be effective for the life of the dog or cat. No license shall be issued without proof that the dog or cat has received a valid rabies vaccination.

(c) Annual and lifetime license fees.

(1) The owner or person in charge shall pay a fee to the City of Anniston for each annual or lifetime license, in the amounts set forth below, which is to be charged to offset the costs of the registration, licensing and control of dogs and cats within the city and its police jurisdiction.

(2) In order to obtain an annual license or lifetime license for a dog or cat that has been spayed or neutered, the owner or person in charge shall provide proof of sterilization by letter or certificate signed by licensed veterinarian and identifying the dog or cat by name, description, breed, color, age, gender, and owner or person in charge. Alternatively, the owner or person in charge may submit the dog or cat to physical examination by the city’s animal control officer for the purpose of verifying its sterilization.

(3) The owner or person in charge may submit a letter or certificate from a licensed veterinarian stating that a dog or cat should not be sterilized, either because it is less than six (6) months old or for other legitimate health reasons. In such cases, the owner or person in charge may obtain an annual license by payment of the fee in the amount charged for sterilized dogs or cats.

(4) The owner or person in charge of a dog or cat that has been spayed or neutered may provide proof that he or she has an annual income of no more than twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000.00) or that he or she is a recipient of Medicaid, Social Security Disability or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. In such case, the owner or person in charge shall receive a lifetime license for the sterilized dog or cat without paying the license fee.

(5) In the event that the owner or person in charge renews an annual license for a dog or cat more than thirty (30) days after the expiration of the license, he or shall pay a five dollars ($5.00) late fee in addition to the annual license fee.

(d) Authorized agents. The city manager, upon recommendation of the city’s animal control officer and finance director, may authorize a licensed veterinarian or other appropriate agent to register, license and/or collect license fees for dogs and cats in accordance with this section. Any such authorized agent shall provide a bond, in such form or amount as the finance director deems appropriate, to ensure the agent’s collection and payment of all fees owed to the city. The finance director may pay the cost of the bond from the city’s treasury. The city manager may agree to pay such authorized agents an administrative fee equal to ten (10) percent of the fees collected, or one dollar ($1.00) for each license purchased, whichever is greater. It shall be unlawful for any person, entity or organization to represent himself, herself, or itself as an authorized agent of the city without a written agreement with the city manager conferring such authority and including the agent’s promise to pay the city all amounts owed under the agency agreement.