Animal Control
Any owner reclaiming an impounded animal shall pay any applicable fees charged by the City of Pinckneyville and the Perry County Dog Pound. Any owner desiring to reclaim an impounded animal must first pay the City Clerk at City Hall, 104 South Walnut Street, Pinckneyville, within seven days from and after the date of impoundment. Upon payment, the City Clerk shall issue a written receipt which may be presented to the operator of the Perry County Dog pound, as proof of payment of the fees due to the city and as authorization by the city for release of the impounded animal.
City fees are as follows and are in addition to fees set by the Perry County Dog Pound:
- Cruelty to Animals is strictly prohibited. Cruelty includes: inhumanely beating, under feeding, tormenting, abandonment, or failure to provide plenty of clean water, food, and a proper shelter with protection from the weather.
- No one is allowed to keep any domesticated or wild animals or fowl on their property in the city with the exception of small caged birds, domesticated dogs, cats or aquatic and amphibious animals except by permission of the city for 4-H projects and similar related youth activities or for livestock or horse farm operations or in fenced pastures existing prior to the adoption of this ordinance.
- No person owning any animal shall permit the animal to disturb the peace and quiet of the neighborhood by barking, meowing, cackling or the making of other loud or unusual noises.
- No person owning any animal shall permit the animal from becoming a public nuisance. Public nuisance includes: Excessive, continued, or untimely barking or unusual noise, molesting passersby, chasing vehicles, habitually attacking other animals, trespassing on school grounds or other public places or trespassing on private property.
- Every dog or cat must have a collar with the name, address and phone number of the owner or keeper inscribed on a tag attached to the collar.
- It is the duty of the owner of any dog or cat kept or maintained in the city to have the animal inoculated against rabies at least once each calendar year and will keep a serially numbered tag evidencing the inoculation attached to the animal's collar or harness.
- All animals must be restrained, either by leash or being kept in an enclosure . Any animal running at large will be considered a public nuisance and impounded.
- No one is allowed to tie any animal up in any of the streets, alleyways, public ways, or public areas, except where permitted by the city.
- All female dogs and cats in season (heat) must be confined by the owner in a suitable building or shed during the time that the animal is in heat.
- It is unlawful for any person to hunt or to engage in killing any animal in the city.
- No trapping of any game, animals, or fowl within the city.
- In no event shall a person keep any animal that is considered dangerous at any location in the city.
- Any animal which has bitten or otherwise injured a person shall be immediately taken, impounded and kept separated from other animals for 14 days. If the animal cannot be taken to impound safely, it may be shot. If the animal has a history of biting people, the animal shall be humanely destroyed. Once an owner has been notified that his or her animal has bitten or otherwise injured any person the owner or keeper cannot allow the animal to be at large unless the animal is securely muzzled.
- Unrestrained animals at large may be taken by the animal control officer or police officer and impounded in an animal shelter. If an animal is found to be at large with correct identification tagging, the animal need not be impounded, but may instead be taken to the owner. A citation or violation may still be issued.
- Citations for violations of this ordinance range from $50 up to $500. Citations will be written for each day offense occurs
City fees are as follows and are in addition to the fees imposed by the Perry County Dog Pound:
- $20 for each impoundment per year
- $30 for the second impoundment within 12 months
- $50 for the third and all subsequent impoundments.
No one can redeem any animal impounded without proper and current certificate of inoculation of rabies.
This page is a general outline of Ordinance 2007-11
To see the ordinance in full or for definitions of terms click here.