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Leash & License Laws
All dogs must be under control at all times.
955.22
(C) Except when a dog is lawfully engaged in hunting and accompanied by the owner, keeper, harborer, or handler of the dog, no owner, keeper, or harborer of any dog shall fail at any time to do either of the following:
(1) Keep the dog physically confined or restrained upon the premises of the owner, keeper, or harborer by a leash, tether, adequate fence, supervision, or secure enclosure to prevent escape;
(2) Keep the dog under the reasonable control of some person. First offences are usually issued a warning, unless property damage or personal injury occurred. Second offences incur citations/tickets to court. All subsequent offences are fourth degree misdemeanors with possible jail time.
955.01
(A)(1) Except as otherwise provided in this section or in sections 955.011, 955.012, and 955.16 of the Revised Code, every person who owns, keeps, or harbors a dog more than three months of age, shall file, on or after the first day of the preceding December but before the 31st day of January of each year, in the office of the County Auditor of the county in which the dog is kept or harbored, an application for registration for the following year, beginning the 31st day of January of that year. The Board of County Commissioners, by resolution, may extend the period for filing the application. The application shall state the age, sex, color, character of hair, whether short or long, and breed, if known, of the dog and the name and address of the owner of the dog. A registration fee of two dollars for each dog shall accompany the application, unless a greater fee has been established under division (A)(2) of this section or under section 955.14 of the Revised Code.
Patrols for unlicensed dogs begin immediately after “dog tag season” (December 1st – January 31st). All owners found with dogs not licensed after this date will be cited and must purchase valid license. A late fee applies if license is purchased after the deadline.
Why should I attach the license to my dog’s collar?
(A) Dogs that have been seized by the County Dog Warden and impounded shall be kept, housed, and fed for three days for the purpose of redemption, as provided by section 955.18 of the Revised Code, unless any of the following applies:
(1) Immediate humane destruction of the dog is necessary because of obvious disease or injury. If the diseased or injured dog is registered, as determined from the current year’s registration list maintained by the Warden and the County Auditor, the necessity of destroying the dog shall be certified by a licensed veterinarian or a registered veterinary technician. If the dog is not registered, the decision to destroy it shall be made by the warden.
(2) The dog is currently registered on the registration list maintained by the warden and the auditor of the county where the dog is registered and the attempts to notify the owner, keeper, or harborer under section 955.12 of the Revised Code have failed, in which case the dog shall be kept, housed, and fed for fourteen days for the purpose of redemption.
(3) The warden has contacted the owner, keeper, or harborer under section 955.12 of the Revised Code, and the owner, keeper, or harborer has requested that the dog remain in the pound or animal shelter until the owner, harborer, or keeper redeems the dog. The time for such redemption shall be not more than forty-eight hours following the end of the appropriate redemption period.
955.22
(C) Except when a dog is lawfully engaged in hunting and accompanied by the owner, keeper, harborer, or handler of the dog, no owner, keeper, or harborer of any dog shall fail at any time to do either of the following:
(1) Keep the dog physically confined or restrained upon the premises of the owner, keeper, or harborer by a leash, tether, adequate fence, supervision, or secure enclosure to prevent escape;
(2) Keep the dog under the reasonable control of some person. First offences are usually issued a warning, unless property damage or personal injury occurred. Second offences incur citations/tickets to court. All subsequent offences are fourth degree misdemeanors with possible jail time.
955.01
(A)(1) Except as otherwise provided in this section or in sections 955.011, 955.012, and 955.16 of the Revised Code, every person who owns, keeps, or harbors a dog more than three months of age, shall file, on or after the first day of the preceding December but before the 31st day of January of each year, in the office of the County Auditor of the county in which the dog is kept or harbored, an application for registration for the following year, beginning the 31st day of January of that year. The Board of County Commissioners, by resolution, may extend the period for filing the application. The application shall state the age, sex, color, character of hair, whether short or long, and breed, if known, of the dog and the name and address of the owner of the dog. A registration fee of two dollars for each dog shall accompany the application, unless a greater fee has been established under division (A)(2) of this section or under section 955.14 of the Revised Code.
Patrols for unlicensed dogs begin immediately after “dog tag season” (December 1st – January 31st). All owners found with dogs not licensed after this date will be cited and must purchase valid license. A late fee applies if license is purchased after the deadline.
Why should I attach the license to my dog’s collar?
- It’s the law. According to Section 955.10, every registered dog, except those constantly confined to registered kennels, shall at all times wear a valid tag issued in connection with the certificate evidencing such registration. Failure at any time to wear such a tag shall be prima facie evidence of lack of registration and shall subject any dog found not wearing such a tag to impounding, sale, or destruction.
- Dogs that are captured without a valid license are required by state law to be held for three days until euthanized or adopted. Dogs with licenses on their collars, on the other hand, are required to be held two weeks before euthanasia or adoption.
(A) Dogs that have been seized by the County Dog Warden and impounded shall be kept, housed, and fed for three days for the purpose of redemption, as provided by section 955.18 of the Revised Code, unless any of the following applies:
(1) Immediate humane destruction of the dog is necessary because of obvious disease or injury. If the diseased or injured dog is registered, as determined from the current year’s registration list maintained by the Warden and the County Auditor, the necessity of destroying the dog shall be certified by a licensed veterinarian or a registered veterinary technician. If the dog is not registered, the decision to destroy it shall be made by the warden.
(2) The dog is currently registered on the registration list maintained by the warden and the auditor of the county where the dog is registered and the attempts to notify the owner, keeper, or harborer under section 955.12 of the Revised Code have failed, in which case the dog shall be kept, housed, and fed for fourteen days for the purpose of redemption.
(3) The warden has contacted the owner, keeper, or harborer under section 955.12 of the Revised Code, and the owner, keeper, or harborer has requested that the dog remain in the pound or animal shelter until the owner, harborer, or keeper redeems the dog. The time for such redemption shall be not more than forty-eight hours following the end of the appropriate redemption period.