OVERVIEW

The Chatham County Board of Commissioners approved amendments to the Chatham County Animal Control Ordinance on January 17, 2020. The purpose of the proposed City of Savannah Animal Control Ordinance changes is to align the City of Savannah’s Animal Control Ordinance with the changes implemented by the Chatham County Board of Commissioners on January 17, 2020.

The Chatham County Animal Services Department is responsible for all the animal related ‘calls for service’ within Chatham County including within the boundaries of the City of Savannah. These changes will provide uniform rules, procedures, and enforcement for both governing jurisdictions. The recommended updates not only provide operational consistency but also incorporate best practice policy approaches county-wide.

ORDINANCE UPDATES

The intent of these proposed changes is to incorporate and update best practice policy procedures and ordinances for addressing animal control issues. Below is an outline of the proposed changes.

1. Adjust the required rabies vaccination age from 6 months to 14 weeks
2. Amend ordinance to add ‘neglect and cruelty’ clause
3. Adjust lost animal procedure to protect more animals and provide greater animal shelter capacity
4. Amend ordinance to limit dog ownership to no more than 10 dogs on less than one acre.
5. Remove current ordinance requirements for service animals in order to rely solely on Federal service animal requirements
6. Remove cat feeding restrictions to allow for different approaches to managing the feral cat population.

For more information on these recommended changes, please refer to the attached presentation provided by the Chatham County Animal Services Department.

Approval