Mount Pleasant holds public workshop on proposed animal-control ordinances including mandatory microchipping

Mount Pleasant held a public workshop March 18 to discuss proposed changes to the city’s animal-control code, including a requirement to microchip animals kept inside city limits, a ban on public display or sale of animals in parking lots, restrictions on feeding stray animals, and a requirement that animals reclaimed from the shelter be sterilized within a specified period.

Animal Control Chief said the microchipping proposal is found in Chapter 97, subsection 97.11 and “required if somebody lived in the city residence or housed an animal in the city, a cat or a dog, they were required to microchip that animal.” He told residents the sterilization requirement would apply to animals impounded by the shelter and reclaimed by their owners, with a typical compliance window of 30 days and limited exceptions for licensed breeders or circumstances outside an owner’s control.

Why it matters: city staff and local rescue groups said the measures are intended to reduce shelter intake and euthanasia by improving owner identification, discouraging unregulated roadside sales and curb the growth of feral-cat colonies that can carry disease. Several residents and rescue representatives supported microchipping and spay/neuter programs but cautioned about enforcement, costs and unintended harms from drop boxes or unattended surrender points.

Details of the four proposals and enforcement - Microchipping (Chapter 97.11): City…