§ 10.16.030. Dangerous animals—Ownership permitted when.

Any animal which is declared to be dangerous by the animal control officer may be kept within unincorporated Clark County provided that:

(a)

Within fourteen days after the owner or keeper is notified of the declaration the area in which the owner or keeper intends to keep the animal must pass an inspection by the animal control officer and the owner or keeper must obtain from the animal control officer an annual permit to keep the animal based upon such lawful terms and conditions as the animal control officer deems appropriate, based upon reasonable and articulable standards, which may be subject to challenge pursuant to Section 10.16.050. A nonrefundable inspection fee of one hundred dollars per inspection will be charged to the owner or keeper for each permit. An owner or keeper of an animal that has been deemed dangerous and a permit has been issued, must pay an annual nonrefundable charge of one hundred dollars per inspection of the premises by the animal control officer for the annual permit. All terms and conditions of the original permit must be maintained. A permit may not be issued unless the owner of the dangerous animal is the owner of the real properly upon which it is to be kept, or the owner of the real property provides a notarized letter of approval for keeping thereon the dangerous animal.

(b)

The animal shall be kept, confined or housed within an enclosure deemed adequate by the animal control officer:

(1)

That will ensure the animal's retention and comfort, is of a size to permit the animal to stand upright, and is of a dimension deemed adequate by the animal control officer; and

(2)

That is secure enough so that the animal cannot bite, harm or injure anyone overreaching the top of the fence or other enclosure.

(c)

At no time shall the animal be allowed to leave the private property confines of the owner or person in charge of the animal unless it is muzzled, leashed and under the effective control of an adult.

(d)

The private property shall be adequately and properly posted with conspicuous warning signs of the presence of a dangerous animal, with a listing of the name and telephone number of the owner of the animal.

(e)

The animal must be sterilized by a licensed veterinarian. The owner or keeper shall maintain all sterilization records, including the type of animal sterilized, the name of the veterinarian performing the procedure, and the date the sterilization was performed.

(f)

The animal shall be implanted with an electronic microchip from a manufacturer approved by the animal control officer. The implantation must be performed by a licensed veterinarian and must conform to procedures recommended by the manufacturer. The owner or keeper shall register the microchip number in a national database in accordance with instructions from the manufacturer, and shall provide the number to the animal control officer.

(g)

The owner or keeper shall obtain and maintain in effect a policy of insurance, or offer proof of an existing policy, in the amount of not less than one hundred thousand dollars insuring against possible injuries inflicted by the dangerous animal. Such insurance, whether homeowner's or liability, shall be provided to the animal control officer and maintained in effect as long as the owner or keeper maintains possession of the dangerous animal. Clark County Animal Control must be listed as a certificate holder on the policy. The policy must clearly state the name, breed, color, and sex of the animal, and reason that the animal has been declared dangerous; or be accompanied by a written statement by the carrier containing such information about the dangerous animal affirming the coverage with reference to the controlling sections of the policy.

(h)

The owner of a dangerous animal may not sell, relocate or give away the animal without first obtaining prior written approval from an animal control officer, and if different, the animal control officer or equivalent of the jurisdiction to which the animal will be relocated. If such a transaction is approved, the owner or transferee shall pay a nonrefundable inspection fee of one hundred dollars per inspection of the new location for the animal, if located in unincorporated Clark County. The owner or transferee shall also have the national microchip number updated in the national database to reflect the change in ownership and shall provide evidence of the update to the animal control officer. The denial of a right to transfer by animal control shall be clearly articulated in writing, and may be reviewed at a hearing for abuse of discretion.

(Ord. No. 4355, § 6, 11-18-2015)