Chapter 7.07
GUARD DOGS - PERMITS AND HOUSING
Sections:
7.07.010 Definitions.
7.07.020 Permits.
7.07.030 Housing and facilities.
7.07.040 Exclusions.
Section 7.07.010 Definitions. For use in this title, the following terms are defined:
1. "Anti-escape" means any housing, fencing or device which the guard dog cannot go over, under, through or around.
2. "Commercial property" means:
a. A portion of land and/or building zoned for or utilized for commercial or business uses, within the city, including temporary sites;
b. Any vehicle utilized for commercial or business purposes within the city.
3. "Guard dog" means any dog that is utilized to protect commercial property as defined above. This chapter shall not be construed to apply to dogs used by the city of Sioux City or Woodbury County for law enforcement purposes.
4. "Handler" means a person who is responsible for and capable of controlling the operations of a guard dog.
5. "Housing" means any location where the guard dog is kept when not being utilized for protection purposes. (Ord. 82/T-1235)
Section 7.07.020 Permits.
1. A guard dog permit must be obtained for each commercial property where guard dogs are to be used. Procedures for permit application, for inspection of guard dog facilities, and for issuance of dog identification tags will be established by the poundmaster or his designee. Permits for both permanent and temporary locations may be transferred to a new location operated by the same business firm during the license year. However, such transfers shall not be effective until the pound master or his designee, has inspected and approved the required facilities at the new location, and the information required below for permit applications has been recorded. Five working days' advance notification shall be required by the poundmaster, or his designee, for permit transfers.
2. Permit applications shall include the following information:
a. The business name, address and telephone number of the commercial property where guard dogs are to be used;
b. The name, address, and telephone number of the handler(s) who can be reached at any time of the day or night;
c. The number of dogs to be used and a general description of their use;
d. The location where the dogs are to be housed;
e. Any other information that the poundmaster or his designee deems necessary by rule and regulation. Permit holders shall notify the poundmaster, or his designee, if any information recorded as part of the permit application is changed during the course of the period for which the permit is issued.
3. The poundmaster, or his designee, shall inspect the facilities where the guard dog is to be used and housed when the guard dog permit is applied for and when it is renewed.
4. If the inspection reveals that the requirements of this chapter are met, a one-hundred-dollar fee shall be paid, and a guard dog license and special guard dog identification tags for the approved commercial property shall be issued by the poundmaster or his designee. The permit shall be displayed at the approved commercial property, and an identification tag shall be affixed to the collar of each dog used.
5. The guard dog permit shall be valid for the period of one year, and must be renewed annually within thirty days after the renewal date. The renewal fee shall be one hundred dollars.
6. The guard dog permit must be obtained prior to housing or utilizing guard dogs at the commercial property, provided that for those commercial properties where guard dogs are in use when the ordinance codified in this chapter becomes effective, there shall be a ninety-day period in which to obtain the permit without penalty. (Ord. 82/T-1235)
Section 7.07.030 Housing and facilities. Whenever there is a guard dog on the premises, the standards of this section, in addition to the other requirements of this title, shall be complied with.
1. Housing must have anti-escape fences completely surrounding it or be an anti-escape building sufficient to house guard dogs.
2. All gates and entrances to the area where the guard dog is housed, used or trained must be kept locked when the handler is not present.
3. Where guard dogs are used outside buildings, the area must be enclosed by at least a six-foot chain-link fence, or other enclosure of equal security, to which anti-escape devices have been added. The adequacy of the fencing shall be subject to the approval of the poundmaster or his designee.
4. In order to control noise, the poundmaster, or his designee, may require a sight barrier which breaks the dog's line of sight.
5. In buildings where the guard dogs are used, exterior glass must be adequate to prevent the dog from jumping through it. Additional protection measures may be required by the poundmaster or his designee.
6. The building and yard in which a guard dog is used must be posted with guard-dog signs, approved by the poundmaster or his designee, that shall not be more than two hundred feet apart, and shall be at all property corners and at every entrance into the area.
7. For guard dogs either transported or utilized in vehicles, adequate measures must be taken to prevent the public from accidental contact with the guard dog.
8. A handler is required to be physically present while guard dogs are being utilized at temporary sites which do not comply with this chapter.
9. All guard dogs will be leashed and muzzled when on a public street. (Ord. 82/T-1235)
Section 7.07.040 Exclusions. Dogs that are used as private guard dogs on the property of their owner's private residence shall be excluded from the provisions of this chapter unless said residence is located on premises utilized for commercial purposes. Guard dogs kept in a kennel with a valid permit under Section 7.06.010 are also excluded for the provisions of this chapter. (Ord. 82/T-1235)
