Board schedules public hearing on proposed change to dog‑ownership limits

DeWitt — The DeWitt Town Board voted to schedule a public hearing in September on a proposed change to the town code that would lower the number of dogs allowed per household.

Board members said the current allowable number (discussed in the packet as five) has led to enforcement problems in some neighborhoods and that reducing the limit to three could provide a clearer enforcement mechanism for code officers. A board member said the number of properties in town means enforcement must be targeted: “We have 11,000 properties, close to 8,000 residential,” the member said in debate over whether a town‑wide change is the right tool.

Some members urged improved enforcement of licensing rules rather than a town‑wide numerical cap; others said a lower cap would help code officers who arrive at a property and find a nuisance because the number of dogs itself can be a basis for action. The board discussed grandfathering existing owners by name and noted that the number of properties currently above the proposed cap appeared to be small (one speaker estimated “less than a dozen” households affected).

Board members agreed to hold a public hearing in September and suggested holding the hearing in the evening to encourage attendance. The transcript records the date reference as “20 third” during the meeting; the board did not confirm an exact calendar date on the public record in the audio transcript.

Why it matters: The rule change could affect households that currently keep more dogs than the proposed limit and could provide code officers a clearer mechanism to address nuisance complaints. The hearing will allow residents for and against the change to comment publicly.