Fellsmere, Florida

Sec. 14-30. – Application for license; renewal; fees; issuance of tags; transfer; licensing agents; records; exemptions.

(a) On or between January 1 and April 30 of each calendar year, every person subject to the requirement of section 14-29 shall make written application to the tax collector for issuance or renewal of a license. Each application shall provide the applicant’s name, residential address, and telephone number (home and business), and shall give an accurate description of the dog or cat being licensed, including name, breed, color, gender, size, reproductive status, and date of birth or age. In addition, an applicant shall provide proof of vaccination for rabies, administered by a licensed veterinarian within the 12-month period immediately preceding the date of application. No license shall be issued in the absence of such proof, which shall be signed by certificate of the administering veterinarian, indicating the date of vaccination, the manufacturer, and the lot or serial number of vaccine used. A certificate shall not be valid for more than one animal unless clearly indicated otherwise thereon by the certifying veterinarian. If a dog or cat attains the age of four months following April 30 of any given year, the owner shall have 30 days thereafter in which to make application for a license as required in this section.

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(c) The board of county commissioners shall by resolution adopt a schedule of fees to be collected from each applicant prior to issuance or renewal of a license. Such schedule may provide for a range of fees based upon reproductive status, timeliness of application, and whether the animal being licensed is a dog or cat. Licensing fees are hereby waived with respect to any dog serving the handicapped or any government-owned dog used for law enforcement purposes.

(d) If an owner is seeking to have an animal licensed as a neutered or spayed animal, the owner shall provide with the application sufficient proof of sterilization. This proof may be by means of certification of the licensed veterinarian who performed the procedure, or if not available, by opinion of an examining veterinarian as to the animal’s apparent reproductive status, or by any other equally reliable documentary evidence. Any animal certified by an examining veterinarian to be either permanently incapable of reproduction or unsuitable for surgical sterilization, by virtue of age, disease, or its infirmity, or any animal under the age of one year, shall be licensable as a sterilized or nonreproductive animal.

Sec. 14-33. – Impoundment and disposition.

(f) Adoption fees shall be collected at the rate established by the designated impoundment facility, but in any event, no dog or cat shall be released for adoption without first being sterilized, or without a written agreement from the adopting party guaranteeing that such animal shall be sterilized within 30 days following adoption, unless the sexual maturity of the animal requires a longer period. An agreement to sterilize such animal shall be secured by deposit with the agency from which the animal is adopted of a sum to be determined by the agency, such sum to be refunded without interest upon presentation of proof that such animal has been sterilized. Until such animal is actually sterilized, licensing fees shall be levied as if the animal were unsterilized. Failure to comply with the agreement to sterilize such animal shall result in forfeiture of the deposit to the agency for animal control for related purposes. Upon proof of sterilization, the tax collector is authorized, if requested by the owner, to refund any portion of the current year’s paid licensing fee attributable to the neutered or spayed animal for the entire year. All provisions in this section pertaining to the sterilization of adoptive animals shall be interpreted consistently with the legislative policy and requirements set forth in F.S. § 823.15, as may be amended, governing sterilization of animals released from animal control shelters or agencies.

Sec. 14-44. – Fees and penalties enumerated.

(a) The following fees and penalties are hereby established and are deemed necessary for the proper administration of this article and to promote protection of the public’s health, safety and welfare:

(1) Licensing fees:

a. Female or male, dog or cat, initial or renewal license, not sterilized, per year …..$10.00

b. Female or male, dog or cat, initial or renewal, sterilized, per year …..5.00