East Palo Alto, California

6.04.040 – Dog licenses.

A. Requirements. An annual license fee shall be paid for every dog over the age of four months owned and harbored in this county. Such annual license fee shall be first due when the animal reaches four months of age or within sixty (60) days after the dog is acquired, and is due on the anniversary date of the original purchase date each year thereafter. New residents shall have sixty (60) days in which to acquire such license. Persons renewing their license shall have thirty (30) days following their due date before delinquent and having to pay a late penalty. The fee for such license shall be as set forth in Section 6.04.270. The fee paid for the licensing of spayed or neutered dogs shall be one-half of the license fee for unaltered dogs upon presentation of the proper certification. The fee paid by persons over the age of sixty (60) shall be one-half of the license fee. Any person who shall fail to pay such license fee, after the fee is due or the dog is required to be licensed, shall in addition to paying any past due license fee or fees, also pay a penalty in accordance with Section 6.04.270. A license shall be obtained, but no license fee shall be payable for the licensing of any dog which is being trained for guide or hearing purposes by a resident of the county, or used for guide or hearing purposes by a handicapped resident of the county and which has come from a guide or hearing dog training facility, or for dogs which have served as a member of the Armed Forces of the United States of America, or any dog currently being used by a local law enforcement agency for the purposes of crime prevention or control. Dog licenses are not transferable between owners; however, if the dog dies and the owner acquires a new dog, the license is transferable to the new dog. The license does not have to be renewed until the original purchase anniversary date. The fee paid for a dog license is not returnable. Licenses provided for in this section shall be signed by the director of community services. Such licenses shall be numbered consecutively.

6.04.200 – Redemption/spay neuter fee.

B. Upon redemption of any impounded unaltered animal, the owner will be required to pay a spay/neuter fee in the amount of thirty-five dollars ($35.00) in addition to the impound fees imposed under Section 6.04.270. Such fee shall be refundable upon proof of spay/neuter of the animal within thirty (30) days of the redemption date. Any unaltered animal impounded twice or more within a three-year period shall be altered at the owner’s expense prior to redemption. At the option of the owner, required spaying or neutering may be performed by a private veterinarian.

C. Any owner of an impounded animal subject to mandatory spay/neuter under subsection B may petition, in writing, for a hearing conducted by the animal control program manager or his or her designee within three days following notice of the second impoundment. The hearing shall be held within four working days of such petition and shall be subject to the provisions of Subsections 6.04.170.A—G. After the hearing, the hearing officer may require that the animal be spayed or neutered at the owner’s expense, unless the hearing officer determines that good cause exists for not requiring that the animal be spayed or neutered.

6.04.270 – Schedule of fees and charges.

Fees and charges referred to in this chapter are as follows:

A. Dog license fee.

Unaltered dog …..$20.00

Altered dog …..$10.00