The text
Sec. 4-36. - Dog licenses—Fees—Penalties.#
(a)
(1)
Every owner or keeper of a dog shall annually, in April, obtain a license effective May 1 through the office of the Hopkinton town clerk.
(2)
The fee for the license shall be eight dollars ($8.00).
(3)
No license shall issue unless the dog has been inoculated against rabies for the period of time which the license would be valid.
(4)
All licenses issued under the provisions of this chapter shall be valid in every Rhode Island city or town during the then-current year.
(5)
Any person who becomes the owner or keeper of a dog shall obtain a license within thirty (30) days after he or she becomes the owner or keeper.
(b)
Every person, owning or keeping a dog not licensed and/or collared according to the provisions of this chapter, shall be fined twenty-five dollars ($25.00) to be applied to the support of the Town's animal control operations, and that fine shall be in addition to all other lawful fees.
(c)
The town shall waive the fee to be charged to license guide dogs and/or service animals used by persons with disabilities.
(Ch. 291, 12-4-23; Ch. 294, 3-4-24)
State Law reference— R.I.G.L. § 4-13-4
Sec. 4-37. - Notice to new owner of inoculation and licensing requirements.#
(a)
It is unlawful for any dog pound, animal shelter, kennel, pet store, or any other such licensed facility, to give away or adopt out any dog without providing the new owner with a form indicating that inoculation against rabies and permanent licensing are required within thirty (30) days.
(b)
The facility shall also require the new owner to sign a register indicating that the new owner has received a form and the register shall also contain the name and address of the new owner and shall be permanently maintained by the facility.
(c)
The person obtaining a dog in this manner is required to have this dog inoculated against rabies and obtain a permanent license within thirty (30) days.
(d)
Any person who violates the provisions of this section is subject to the penalty provisions of section 4-36 of this chapter.
(Ch. 291, 12-4-23)
State Law reference— R.I.G.L. § 4-13-4.1
Sec. 4-38. - License information and record.#
Every owner or keeper of a dog applying for a license as provided for in section 4-36 shall furnish the Hopkinton town clerk's office with the following information: name and address of owner or keeper, and breed, sex, color, and name of dog to be licensed. The Hopkinton town clerk's office shall assign a registered number for each dog licensed and shall enter on the license the registered number, name, and address of the owner or keeper, and the breed, sex, color, and name of the dog licensed, and shall keep a record of all licenses issued.
(Ch. 291, 12-4-23; Ch. 294, 3-4-24)
State Law reference— R.I.G.L. § 4-13-5
Sec. 4-39. - Notice as to time and place of issuing licenses.#
The Hopkinton town clerk's office shall annually, in the month of March, give notice by publication at least once in a newspaper of general circulation within the town, giving notice to the people of the time and place for issuing dog licenses.
(Ch. 291, 12-4-23; Ch. 294, 3-4-24)
State Law reference— R.I.G.L. § 4-13-7
Sec. 4-40. - Pups exempt from license.#
No license shall be required for any dog under the age of six (6) months.
(Ch. 291, 12-4-23)
State Law reference— R.I.G.L. § 4-13-9
Sec. 4-41. - Thoroughbred dogs exempt—kennel licenses.#
No license fee is imposed on any thoroughbred dogs kept for breeding and stud purposes only; provided, that the dog is owned by a breeder or annual exhibitor of thoroughbred dogs; and provided, further, that the dogs are kept in a duly licensed breeding kennel, and only allowed at large in charge of the owner or keeper of that kennel. Every owner or keeper of thoroughbred dogs may make application to the Hopkinton town clerk for what shall be known as a kennel license. The application states the name or names of the owner and keeper of the kennel, the proposed location of the kennel, and the number of dogs to be kept; and that the dogs are to be kept only for breeding and stud purposes. If the animal control officer deems that the kennel and the use and operation of that kennel at that location would not constitute a public nuisance, and the kennel receives approval from the zoning enforcement officer and/or zoning board, the Hopkinton town clerk shall issue a kennel license authorizing the owner or keeper to keep the kennel in the definite location to be specified in the license, upon the payment by the applicant of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) for the license. Every kennel license is for a period not exceeding one year and expires on the first day of April. Any person without a kennel license who establishes or keeps a kennel shall be fined not exceeding five dollars ($5.00) for each day the kennel is kept in addition to any penalties that may be imposed under the Town's zoning ordinance.
(Ch. 291, 12-4-23; Ch. 294, 3-4-24)
State Law reference— R.I.G.L. § 4-13-10
Sec. 4-42. - Wrongful removal of collar—theft or destruction of licensed dogs—poisoning.#
Whoever wrongfully removes the collar from the neck of a dog licensed and collared according to the provisions of this chapter, or steals a dog licensed or collared, or kills, maims, entices, carries away, or detains a licensed dog, or distributes or exposes a poisonous substance, with the intent that the poisonous substance shall be eaten by a licensed dog, shall be punished by a fine of not less than ten dollars ($10.00), nor more than one hundred dollars ($100.00) or be imprisoned not exceeding thirty (30) days, or both, and shall be liable to the dog's owner for damages in a civil action.
(Ch. 291, 12-4-23)
State Law reference— R.I.G.L. § 4-13-13
Sec. 4-43. - Collaring of dogs—Impoundment and disposition of uncollared dogs.#
(a)
Every owner or keeper of a dog shall cause the dog to wear a collar around its neck distinctly marked with its owner's or keeper's name and with its registered number. An owner who fails to license a dog or fails to place a collar with the license and identification on a dog, or both, shall be warned to comply with the requirements of this section within thirty (30) days. The warning shall be in writing and delivered in person or sent by regular mail. An owner who fails to comply with the requirements of this section within thirty (30) days of the day the warning was issued shall be fined fifty dollars ($50.00). An owner who fails to comply with this section within sixty (60) days of the warning was issued shall be fined one hundred dollars ($100.00).
(b)
Any person may cause any dog not so collared to be impounded in the animal shelter and if the dog is not claimed by its owner or keeper within a period of five (5) days after the impoundment, the dog may be disposed of or destroyed. The five (5) days shall not include any day or part of a day that the animal shelter is not open for a specified period of time, not to be less than one-half (½) the normal hours of business, for the purpose of reclaiming any impounded dog by its rightful owner. The owner or keeper of any dog so impounded shall not take the dog out of the animal shelter until he or she has first paid to the animal control officer the expense of keeping the dog, that expense not to exceed twenty dollars ($20.00) per day. The provisions of this section relating to the five-day (5) waiting period shall not be deemed to apply to any dog which, when impounded, was injured or maimed, and after the dog has been examined by a licensed veterinarian who shall confirm, in writing, that the dog be destroyed for humanitarian purposes.
(c)
Any person violating the provisions of this section is subject to the penalty provisions of section 4-20.
(Ch. 291, 12-4-23; Ch. 294, 3-4-24)
State Law reference— R.I.G.L. § 4-13-15
Sec. 4-44. - Leash law.#
(1)
Every owner or guardian of a dog shall cause that dog not to run unrestricted anywhere in the town outside of the owner or guardian's property. This section does not apply to any person who uses a dog under his or her direct supervision while lawfully hunting, while engaged in a supervised formal obedience training class or show or during formally sanctioned field trials.
(2)
It is unlawful for any owner or guardian of a dog, outside of the owner or guardian's property, to place that dog or allow it to be placed in the custody of any other person not physically capable of maintaining effective control of restricting the dog.
(3)
The animal control officer is empowered to seize and impound any dog found off the property of its owner or custodian when that dog is unrestricted.
(4)
The animal control officer shall serve a written warning on any person that is found to be in violation of this article. The warning shall be delivered in person or sent by regular mail. If the violation is not corrected within thirty (30) days of the day the warning was issued, the person shall be fined fifty dollars ($50.00). If a second violation takes place within one (1) year of the day the warning was received the owner shall be fined one hundred dollars ($100.00). If a third or further subsequent violation takes place within one (1) year of the day the warning was received, the owner shall be fined one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00). Any person violating the provisions of this section shall be fined not exceeding two hundred and fifty dollars ($250.00).
(Ch. 291, 12-4-23; Ch. 294, 3-4-24)
State Law reference— R.I.G.L. § 4-13-15.1
Sec. 4-45. - Destruction of dogs in defense of person or livestock.#
Any person may kill any dog that suddenly assaults him or her or any person of his or her family or in his or her company, while the person assaulted is out of the enclosure of the owner or keeper of that dog and any person may kill any dog found out of the enclosure of its owner or keeper, assaulting, wounding, or killing any cattle, sheep, lamb, horse, hog, or fowl, not the property of its owner.
(Ch. 291, 12-4-23)
State Law reference— R.I.G.L. § 4-13-18
Sec. 4-46. - Care of dogs.#
(a)
No owner or guardian of a dog shall:
(1)
Keep any dog on a permanent tether that restricts movement of the tethered dog to an area less than one hundred thirteen (113) square feet or less than a six (6) foot radius at ground level.
(2)
Tether a dog with a choke-type collar or prong-type collar. The weight of any chain or tether shall not exceed one-eighth (⅛) of the dog's total body weight.
(3)
Keep any dog tethered for more than ten (10) hours during a twenty-four-hour (24) period or keep any dog confined in an area or primary enclosure for more than fourteen (14) hours during any twenty-four-hour (24) period, and more than ten (10) hours during a twenty-four-hour (24) period, if the area is not greater than that which is required under the most recently adopted version of the department of environmental management's rules and regulations governing animal care facilities.
(4)
Tether a dog anytime from the hours of ten o'clock p.m. (10:00 p.m.) to six o'clock a.m. (6:00 a.m.), except for a maximum of fifteen (15) minutes.
(5)
Keep any dog outside, either tethered or otherwise confined, when the ambient temperature is beyond the industry standard for the weather safety scale as set forth in the most recent adopted version of the Tufts Animal Care and Condition Weather Safety Scale (TACC).
(b)
Exposing any dog to adverse weather conditions strictly for the purpose of conditioning shall be prohibited.
(c)
The provisions of this section, as they relate to the duration and timeframe of tethering or confinement, shall not apply:
(1)
If the tethering or confinement is authorized for medical reasons in writing by a veterinarian licensed in Rhode Island, the authorization is renewed annually, and shelter is provided;
(2)
If tethering or confinement is authorized in writing by the animal control officer for the purposes, including, but not limited to, hunting dogs, dogs protecting livestock, and sled dogs. Written authorization must be renewed annually. The written authorization issued by the animal control officer shall be considered valid in every other political subdivision of the state. The written authorization issued by the animal control officer is revocable by that animal control officer if there are any conditions present that warrant revocation. The conditions include, but are not limited to, changes in the number or type of dogs, changes in the facility structure or safety, and changes in the health of the dog;
(3)
To any entity licensed by the state pursuant to R.I.G.L. Chapter 19 of Title 4, or any veterinary facility; or
(4)
To an exhibitor holding a class C license under the Animal Welfare Act (7 U.S.C. § 2133) that are temporarily in the state, if authorized by the department of environmental management (DEM).
(d)
Any person in violation of this section shall be imprisoned not exceeding eleven (11) months, or fined not less than fifty dollars ($50.00) nor exceeding five hundred dollars ($500.00), or both. Each day of violation shall constitute a separate offense.
(Ch. 291, 12-4-23)
State Law reference— R.I.G.L. § 4-13-42