PETS AND PET CLEAN-UP FEES

Many of the tenants on Caldecott Lane own pets.

If you are a dog owner, did you know that to keep your dog in Oakland, your dog must:

·         Be licensed?

·         Have a rabies vaccination?

·         Be micro-chiped?

See: Dog Owner Requirements

As good tenants and pet owners alike, we need to work individually and collectively together to responsibly care for and clean-up after our pets.

While some landlords may attempt to impose pet clean-up fees in lease clauses to encourage dog owners to clean-up after their pets, there are actually stiffer penalties imposed by the Oakland municipal code as follows:

OAKLAND MUNICIPAL CODE –TITLE 6, ANIMALS 6.04.070 - Dogs at large

D.      Picking-up. All dog guardians shall pick up after their dogs. Dog guardians shall immediately remove their dog's feces on any public or private property, other than the dog guardian's private property, and then shall dispose of the waste matter in an appropriate trash receptacle. Any person who has custody or control of a dog in a public place is encouraged to carry disposable bags, or a device for picking up and removing dog feces. The City of Oakland encourages the use of biodegradable disposable bags for this purpose.

E.       Enforcement. A violation of the above subsections (A—D) is an infraction as defined at Section 1.28.020(B). This subsection (E) is enforceable by the Oakland Police Department or other authorized city of Oakland employee. See Section 1.24.020(A). Offenders are subject to fines.

F.    Fine Schedule. A first offense shall be punishable by a fine of fifty dollars ($50.00), a second offense within a period of one year shall be punishable by a fine of one hundred dollars ($100.00), and a third or subsequent offense within a one year period shall be punishable by a fine of five hundred dollars ($500.00). As set forth at Section 1.28.020(B) "any violation beyond the third conviction within a one-year period may be charged by the City Attorney or the District Attorney as a misdemeanor and the penalty for conviction of the same shall be punishable by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) or by imprisonment in the county jail for a period of not more than six months or by both.

Cat nap

OAKLAND MUNICIPAL CODE - TITLE 6, ANIMALS 6.04.070 - Leash Law:

A.      Leashed. All dogs shall be leashed and securely and continuously held by a responsible person when on public property. All dog guardians (owners. caretakers, dog walkers) must keep the dog securely on a leash no further than six feet away from a responsible dog guardian, and the leash must be securely attached to a collar or harness at all times when on sidewalks, streets, alleys, parks or other public property. Chain leashes or tethers are prohibited. Dogs may only be off leash on private property where permission from the property owner permits the dog to be off-leash, or in designated off-leash areas (See Section 6.04.080) Dogs left unattended and attached to any stationary object on public property for more than fifteen (15) minutes are considered at large dogs and are subject to impound. (See Section 6.04.210 .