Joplin, Missouri

Sec. 18-17. – Limitation on breeding dogs and cats in city.

No person in residential zoned areas shall allow more than one litter of dogs or cats per household in the city in any 12-month period.

Sec. 18-41. – Running at large.

(a) Every owner shall keep his dog under proper restraint to prevent the dog from being at large.

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(3) Any person convicted of or pleading guilty to violating this section a second time within a twelve-month period shall be required to have said dog (same dog on both occasions) spayed or neutered and microchipped at the owner’s expense within a reasonable period established by the municipal court judge. For the purposes of this section, proof of impoundment of the same dog for being at-large during the same period may also be considered as evidence of meeting the conviction or plea requirement. Microchip registration information is to be provided to the city department of public health and welfare upon completion.

Sec. 18-61. – Required.

No person shall own, keep or harbor any dog over four months of age within the city unless such dog has been licensed under the provisions of this division.

Sec. 18-64. – Fee.

The yearly fee for a dog license shall be $20.00, regardless of sex, which shall be payable to the location approved by the director of health and welfare for license issuance. A numbered receipt shall be given to the applicant as proof of license. The fee provided for in this section shall be paid at the time of making application unless excused as provided in this section. No fee shall be charged for any animal that has been surgically sterilized, upon statement from a veterinarian, in a form to be approved by the director of finance, that the animal has been surgically sterilized, or if a veterinarian approved by the director of health and welfare certifies that in his opinion the animal’s health is such that it would not be able to sustain a sterilization operation. Exemption from payment of the fee under this section shall not exempt any party from making application for a license for his dog and complying with all other license requirements and other requirements of this chapter.

Sec. 18-96. – Cats outdoors to be sterilized.

(a) Any cat allowed to be in the outdoors and unsupervised for any period of time shall be spayed or neutered. Proof of spay or neuter must be maintained by the owner and available for review by animal control at their request.

(1) Medical exception: If a licensed veterinarian states, in writing, that an animal is unfit to undergo the required surgical procedure due to an extreme health condition the requirement is waived.

Sec. 18-111. – Required.

No person shall own, keep or harbor any cat over four months of age within the city unless such cat has been licensed under the provisions of this chapter.

Section. 18-112. – Application and fee.

(b) The yearly fee for a cat license shall be $20.00, regardless of sex, payable to the location approved by the director of health and welfare for license issuance. A numbered receipt shall be given to the applicant as proof of license. The fee provided for in this section for the license shall be paid at the time of making application unless excused as provided in this section. No fee shall be charged for any animal that has been surgically sterilized, upon a statement from a veterinarian, in a form to be approved by the director of finance, that the animal has been surgically sterilized, or if a veterinarian approved by the director of health and welfare certifies that the animal’s health is such that it would not be able to sustain a sterilization operation. Exemption from payment of the fee under this section shall not exempt parties from making application for a license for their cat, or from complying with all other license requirements and all other requirements of this chapter.