6.28.020 Impoundment authorized—When.
A. Impoundment. An animal control officer may impound or leave an animal in the custody of its owner or handler, according to such officer’s discretion, whenever such animal is found to be in circumstances which violate the requirements of this title. If left in the custody of the owner or handler, said owner or handler shall nevertheless be required to respond to a notice of violation issued by the animal control officer.
B. Impounding without Criminal Complaint. An animal found in the following circumstances may be impounded by an animal control officer without the filing of a criminal complaint or obtaining a prior order from a court of competent jurisdiction:
1. The animal is running at large outside its owner’s or handler’s premises;
2. The animal is outside its owner’s or handler’s premises and is not licensed as required by this title. An animal not wearing a license tag shall be presumed to be unlicensed for the purpose of this section;
3. The animal is sick or injured and its owner cannot be immediately located;
4. The animal’s owner or handler requests the division to impound the animal and pays, in advance, a fee reasonably calculated to pay for the cost the division will reasonably incur during impoundment and possible destruction of the animal;
5. The animal is abandoned;
6. The animal is outside its owner’s or handler’s premises and is known by the animal control officer to be without the rabies vaccination required by this title. For the purpose of this section, an animal not wearing a rabies tag shall be presumed to be unvaccinated;
7. The animal is known by the animal control officer to have been exposed to rabies or bitten by a rabid animal;
8. The animal is to be otherwise held for quarantine;
9. The animal is a vicious animal and not properly confined or restrained as required by Section 6.24.040; or
10. The animal is not being kept or maintained as required by any other provision of this title and, as a result thereof, the animal poses an imminent threat to the health and safety of persons, other animals, or itself.
C. List Not Exhaustive. The circumstances set forth above in this section are not intended to be a complete list of those in which the city, the division, and/or an animal control officer may impound an animal without a prior order from a court of competent jurisdiction; and said officers are authorized to act as necessary to maintain the peace and safety of the city under the requirements of this title and all other applicable law. (Ord. 2018-06 § 1 (Exh. A (part)); Ord. 2012-12 § 2 (Exh. A (part)))