Owning Animals in South Bloomfield
This page is not to be considered law, but rather a summary of the laws and ordinances for the Village of South Bloomfield. For further reading please see the resources listed below. Thanks
OutlineOffenses to Animals
Animal Waste Penalties |
ResourcesState Resources
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Abandonment
Abuse
Poisoning of Animals
Cruelty to Animals
Animal Fights
Trapshooting
- No owner
of a dog, cat, or other domestic animal shall abandon the animal.
Abuse
- No person shall maliciously, or willfully and without consent of the owners, kill any domestic animal that is the property of another.
Poisoning of Animals
- No person shall maliciously, or willfully and without consent of the owners, administer poison to any domestic animal that is the property of another, this includes placement of poisoned food where it may easily be eaten by any of these animals, either upon the property owner's land or the land of another.
Cruelty to Animals
- No person shall torture an animal, deprive it of food and water, or mutilate it.
- No person shall impound or confine an animal without providing it access to shelter from any of nature’s elements that can reasonably be expected to make the animal sick or suffer in some way.
- No person shall carry or convey an animal in a cruel or inhumane manner
- No person shall keep animals other than cattle, poultry, swine, sheep, or goats in an enclosure without wholesome exercise and change of air.
Animal Fights
- No person shall knowingly engage in or be employed at cockfighting, bear-baiting, or pitting an animal against another, as well as no person shall receive money for the admission of another to a place kept for this purpose.
Trapshooting
- No person shall use live birds or fowl as targets in trapshooting
Tags
Running at Large; Strays
Dangerous & Vicious Dogs
With the exception of hunting or training for the purpose of hunting and accompanied by the owner, the following rules apply to dangerous and vicious dogs.
Loud Dogs, Barking & Howling Dogs
- No owner of a dog, except a dog constantly confined to a registered kennel, shall fail to require the dog to wear, at all times, a valid tag issued in connection with a certificate of registration. A dog's failure at any time to wear a valid tag shall be prima-facie evidence of lack of registration and shall subject any dog found not wearing such tag to impounding, sale, or destruction. Buy Tags Here
Running at Large; Strays
- Dogs cannot run at large upon any public land or the property of others
- Female dogs in heat are not allowed to leave the property of their owners; they also must be kept inside the residence, garage, or an enclosed building.
- The owner of every dog shall keep the dog confined upon their property or under reasonable control of some person.
- Any person finding a stray dog including law enforcement may confine the dog and give notice to the owner(s), if known, and if not known, publish a notice describing the animal at least once in the newspaper.
Dangerous & Vicious Dogs
With the exception of hunting or training for the purpose of hunting and accompanied by the owner, the following rules apply to dangerous and vicious dogs.
- On the owner’s property, the dog must be kept in a locked pen which has a top, locked fenced yard, or other locked enclosure which has a top; or be tied with a leash or tether that keeps the dog restrained.
- Off the owner's property, the dog must be in a chain-link fence or on a tether no longer than six feet in length and additionally do one of the following;
- Keep the dog locked in a pen with a top, locked fenced yard, or other locked enclosure which has a top
- Have a leash or tether controlled by a person who is of a suitable age to securely attach the leash or tether to the ground or stationary object to keep the dog restrained.
- The owners of the dog must obtain liability insurance of no less than $50,000 that covers the damage or bodily injury to or death of a person caused by the dog.
Loud Dogs, Barking & Howling Dogs
- No person shall have a dog within the Village that through habitual barking, howling or yelping, creates unreasonably loud or disturbing noises of such character, intensity, and duration to disturb the peaceful and quiet living of any person within the Village.
- Any Dog that barks, howls, or yelps for a period exceeding ten (10) minutes in duration or has been warned before by law enforcement more than twice (2x) in one day, or two (2) consecutive days for unreasonable barking, howling or yelping shall be considered a “habitually barking dog.”
Livestock | |
All animals and fowl must adhere to all Zoning Requirements as well as meeting the following guidelines. |
- All animals and fowl shall be kept on owner’s property and shall not be herded, kept, or detained for the purpose of grazing on any property other than their owners.
- All animals and/or fowl shall not be permitted to run at large in the public roadways, upon unenclosed land, or private land or enclosures without the consent of the land or enclosures owner(s).
- You must maintain the animals and fowl living quarters to avoid annoying odors to others (see Animal Waste)
- No person shall place, deposit, or permit the deposit in any unsanitary manner of animal excrement or objectionable waste on public or private property within the Village.
- No person shall discharge into any natural outlet within the Village, any sewage, except where suitable treatment has been provided in accordance with state law.
- No owner of any animal shall permit such animal to deposit waste upon public or private land in the Village, other than the owner's property.
- Owners' poor maintenance/upkeep of any animals which results in annoying odors is a nuisance and detrimental to the health of the community.
- Penalties can vary depending
on what law was violated and the presiding officer of the court; violators can also be subject to forfeit of their animal or livestock, resulting in the sale of such animals or livestock to cover expenses incurred for care of the animal from the time it was taken into custody to the time of sale.
- There are also fees associated with the notification to the public of found stray animals. The person or municipality can receive from the owner $5.00 for advertising for each animal and/or reasonable expenses actually incurred for keeping such animal. (Compensation for advertising shall not exceed $50.00 for any single herd or flock when such herd or flock belongs to one person.)
- For more specific penalties please see the resources located at the top of this page.