Morgan Hill, California

6.12.030 – Dogs—License required.

No person shall maintain or board any dog four months of age or older which has not been licensed pursuant to the provisions of Chapters 6.04 through 6.32 of this title, except:

A. A license shall not be required for an animal owned or under the control of a nonresident of the city, and which is to be kept in the city for less than thirty days;

B. A license shall not be required for dogs temporarily brought into the city for entry into an event, show or exhibition scheduled not more than ten days thereafter.

6.12.060 – Dog licenses—Fees—Exemptions.

A. Dog license fees, including reduced fees for spayed females or neutered males, for each dog within the city shall be fixed by resolution. Dog license fees shall not be refundable in whole or in part.

B. The administrator may require the submission of a certificate of a licensed veterinarian stating that a dog has been spayed or neutered, or cannot be spayed or neutered for health reasons and is incapable of breeding prior to issuance of a license at a lesser fee.

6.12.170 – Adoption of animals.

A. Any person adopting an unspayed or unneutered dog or cat from any humane society animal shelter, public pound or society for the prevention of cruelty to animals shelter in the city shall have such animal spayed or neutered on or before a date specified in the adoption agreement, unless a licensed veterinarian states in writing that the date specified in the adoption agreement is inappropriate for the animal in question. On submission of such written statement to the person at such shelter or pound responsible for ensuring compliance with this section, the adoption agreement will be modified accordingly.

B. As a condition for adoption, the person adopting an animal may be required to deposit with the pound or shelter an amount sufficient to cover the cost of spaying or neutering such animal by a veterinarian or spaying or altering clinic designated by the person adopting the animal. The deposit shall be forwarded to the veterinarian or clinic upon receipt by the pound or shelter of a notice from the veterinarian or clinic that the cat or dog has been spayed or neutered.

6.32.100 – Mandatory sterilization for multiple impounds.

Any unsterilized dog impounded more than twice from the same owner shall be sterilized at the owner’s expense prior to redemption. At the option of the owner, a private veterinarian may perform the required spaying or neutering. The impounding agency may require that transportation to a private veterinarian be performed by the impounding agency.

6.32.110 – Hearing for mandatory sterilization for multiple impounds.

Any owner of an impounded animal subject to mandatory sterilization may petition, in writing, for a hearing to be conducted by the animal control program manager or his/her designee within seven days following notice of the second impoundment. The hearing shall be for purposes of determining the mandatory sterilization issue only, and not for any other purpose under this Title. The hearing shall be held within seven days of receipt of such petition. 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. However, mandatory sterilization shall not be required if the animal was not restrained or confined due to an act of God, emergency or other mitigating factor not caused by the intentional or negligent act of the owner, a member of the owner’s household or any other person in control of the animal.