Coralville/Iowa City
Pet Regulations

Be a Responsible Pet Owner!
Please Keep Your Pet At Home

Coralville Animal Control: (319) 354-1103
Iowa City Animal Control: (319) 356-5295

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The Coralville/Iowa City Animal Shelter is located at the corner of South Clinton and Kirkwood

Who to Call

General Information.........................................(319) 356-5295
Coralville Animal Control...................................(319) 354-1103
Iowa City Animal Control....................................(319) 356-5295

To report animals at large, injured animals, and animal bites.
To learn of a lost or found animal.
To report a lost or found animal.
To report cruelty, abuse or neglect.
To report dead animals.
To purchase a license.
To inquire about wildlife problems.

County Health Department....................................(319) 356-6040
Municipal Court Information.................................(319) 356-6068

Lost and Found

The Animal Shelter keeps an extensive lost and found book. If you lose your pet or if you have found someone else's, please call us. Our purpose is to reunite pets with their owners.

Adoptions

Individuals wishing to adopt any pet may contact the Animal Shelter. Adoption fees and a spay or neuter deposit are required.

The adoption fee is:
	$15.00 for cats, kittens or rabbits
	$20.00 for ferrets
	$25.00 for dogs or puppies

The spay/neuter deposit is:
	$30.00 for cats
	$40.00 for dogs
	$30.00 for ferrets

This fee is refunded after proof is shown that the animal has been altered.

Why do we have animal control laws?

Laws protect people. They also protect pets. Though many people feel a pet is an individual's right, some animals do cause problems and have to be regulated. The laws described here provide better health and safety for the public. We hope you will read them and understand why there are certain laws which you and your pet must obey. Copies of the complete code are available for inspection at the City Clerk's office.

Rabies

All pet animals, including cats six months and older, must be vaccinated against rabies. Wildlife (skunks, raccoons, bats, foxes) can easily spread this incurable disease to your pet. Rabies can be transmitted to humans and is fatal unless a painful series of anti-rabies shots are taken. Therefore the law protects both humans and pets from this disease. Save your rabies certificate. It will come in handy.

Leash Law

All pets, regardless of age, must be leashed at all times unless confined on or within the owner's property. Pets must not be tied and left unattended when off the owner's property. Even unleashed pets accompanied by the owner while jogging, cycling, visiting parks, etc. violate City regulations.

If the pet strays, it can be impounded and its owner or keeper can be ticketed for having an "animal at large." The pet that is impounded is not being punished...it is being protected.

Licenses

All pet animals over the age of six months, and dogs and cats under the age of six months that are no longer with their dam, are required to be licensed.

To obtain a City license for pets over the age of six months, proof must be presented, in the form of a current rabies certificate, to the Animal Shelter.

The owner of a dog or cat less than six months of age which is no longer with its dam, but which is too young to be immunized, shall be issued a temporary license. Temporary licenses will automatically expire seven months from the date of birth of the dog or cat.


LICENSE FEES:

 $1.00	for puppies and kittens under six months of age.

 $5.00	per year for all neutered male and spayed female animals.

$15.00	per year for all animals of either sex that have not been
	altered.

Senior citizens age 60 and over will recieve a 50% discount on licensing fees.

After April 1 of each license year a delinquent license fee of $15.00 will be charged in addition to the annual license fee to any pet owner found in violation of Coralville/Iowa City's licencing ordinance.

All licenses, regardless of the date of issue, expire on December 31 of the year the license tag was in effect.

All pets, including cats, must wear the license tag at all times the animal is off the owner's property, unless confined in a motor vehicle.

The license tag serves a dual purpose should your pet stray from home:

It provides evidence the pet has been vaccinated against rabies.
It helps animal control officers and private citizens who might find your pet return it to its owner: YOU.

Shelters are full of animals with no identification because "my pet never leaves the house." A license tag is a call home for a pet.

Enforcement

Animal Control Officers are authorized to issue court summonses and to impound animals running at large. The impound fees are:

DOGS:	$10.00 for first offense
	$20.00 for second offense
	$30.00 for third offense
	$40.00 for fourth offense and all subsequent times thereafter

CATS:	$10.00 for first offense
	$20.00 for second offense
	$30.00 for third offense
	$40.00 for fourth offense and all subsequent times thereafter

If the owner fails to reclaim the pet within 24 hours after impoundment, board fees will be assessed at the rate of $10.00 per day for dogs and $10.00 per day for cats. Proof of current rabies vaccination and City license must be shown or the owner will be charged for these. After four days, the owner forfeits all rights to the animal, which is then put up for adoption or euthanized.

In addition, every citizen has the right to pick up a stray pet and have it impounded by the Animal Control Officers. An eye witness may sign a complaint and the Animal Control Officer will issue a citation to the pet owner. A citation requires a court appearance with the punishment and fine being determined by the judge upon conviction.

Nuisance animals may be reported 24 hours a day by calling (319) 356-5295.

Miscellany

VIOLATIONS

Other violations include but are not limited to:

Abandoning a pet within the City.

Permitting the pet to make excessive noise that disturbs other
  persons in the area.

Tying a pet to a utility pole, parking meter, building, fence, 
  tree, or other objects on public or private property without 
  the consent of the owner.

Leaving a pet impounded, confined, or tied in a place where it
  lacks adequate food, water or shelter.

Keeping animals in a manner where solid waste accumulations
  become a detriment to the animal's health.

Failing to dispose of solid waste by immediate removal while
  walking a pet on public or private property.

Permitting a pet to molest any person on either public or 
  private property.

Trapping or attempting to trap any animal using devices other
  than a humane, live trap.

Disposing of, giving away or offering for sale any live animal
  upon any public property.

Keeping a female pet in season, except when housed in a building
  or area which is completely enclosed by a fence 60" high, or
  when housed in a licensed boarding kennel or veterinarian hopital.

ANIMAL BITES

All animal bites are required to be reported to the Animal Shelter. The Animal Control Officers will follow-up with the proper investigation.

Coralville/Iowa CityPet Regulations

Be a Responsible Pet Owner!Please Keep Your Pet At Home