Nuisance Ordinance

Orange County Ordinance 

Chapter 4. Animals

Sec. 4-­45. Public Nuisance.

 

Public nuisance means the following activities of an animal, or conditions maintained or permitted by the animal's owner or keeper:

  1. The animal is found at large off the premises of its owner or keeper and not under the restraint of a competent person.
  2. The animal damages the property of anyone other than its owner or keeper, including but not limited to turning over garbage containers or damaging gardens, flowers, shrubbery, vegetables or trees, fences or gates, or causes injury to domesticated livestock or pets.
  3. The animal habitually and repeatedly barks, whines or howls so as to interfere seriously with the reasonable use and enjoyment by neighboring residents of their property.
  1. The animal repeatedly chases, snaps at or barks at persons, domesticated livestock, pets or vehicles when it is not in an enclosure, leashed or on the owner's or keeper's property.
  2. The owner or keeper fails to confine a female dog while in heat (estrus) in a building or secure enclosure in such a manner that she will not be in contact with another dog; however, this subsection shall not be construed to prohibit the intentional breeding of animals within an enclosed area on the premises of the owner or keeper of an animal involved in the breeding process.

It shall be unlawful for an owner or keeper to permit an animal to create a public nuisance, or to maintain a public nuisance created by an animal. Compliance shall be required as follows:

  1. When an animal control officer or law enforcement officer observes a violation, the owner or keeper will be provided written notification of such violation and be given 24 hours or less to abate the nuisance.
  1. Upon receipt of a written detailed and signed complaint alleging that any person is maintaining a public nuisance, the animal control director shall cause the owner or keeper of the animal in question to be notified that a complaint has been received, and shall cause the situation complained upon to be investigated and a written report to be prepared.
  2. If the written findings indicate that the complaint is justified, the animal control director shall cause the owner or keeper of the animal in question to be notified in writing, and shall order abatement of such nuisance within 24 hours or such lesser amount of time, which shall be designated on the abatement order.
  3. If, after 24 hours or such lesser time as is designated in the abatement order, the nuisance is not abated, the animal creating the nuisance may be impounded or a civil penalty may be issued and/or a criminal summons may be issued.

(Ord. of 6-­16-­1987, § XV, eff. 1­-1-­1988; Ord. of 11-­1­-1995, eff. 1-­1-­1997)