Title
Incorporated County of Los Alamos Code Ordinance No. 02-384, Amending Chapter 6, Article I, Section 6-10, Bites; Impounding
Recommended Action
I move that Council adopt Incorporated County of Los Alamos Ordinance No. 02-384, Amending Chapter 6, Article I, Section 6-10, Bites; Impounding; I further move that, upon passage, the Ordinance be published in summary form.
County Manager's Recommendation
The County Manager recommends that Council adopt the Ordinance amendment to the Incorporated County of Los Alamos Code Ordinance No. 02-384 amending Chapter 6, Article I, Section 6-10, Bites/ Impounding, to clarify the Animal Control Authority related to aggressive dog incidents involving domestic or pet animals.
Body
Sections 6-10 of the Los Alamos County Code currently address dog bite incidents and impounding procedures. The proposed amendment expands and clarifies the reporting language, include incidents involving domestic or pet animals besides human bite victims.
Animal Control Officers currently respond to aggressive dog incidents involving both people and animals. However, the existing ordinance language does not expressly state that bite incidents involving domestic or pet animals may trigger formal confinement, quarantine, assessment, or evaluation procedures.
The proposed amendment formalizes current operational practices and provides clear authority for Animal Control Officers to:
--Detain and quarantine dogs involved in aggressive incidents
--Assess and evaluate whether a dog presents an ongoing public safety concern
--Determine additional enforcement or safety measures
--Improve consistency and defensibility of enforcement actions.
The amendment is intended to strengthen public safety protections while ensuring clear and consistent application of animal control procedures.
In accordance with County requirements, notice of a proposed ordinance of public hearing was published in the June 18, 2029 edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post and pos...
Click here for full text