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Committee debates broad animal ordinance: microchipping, tethering, permit limits and enforcement
Summary
The committee extensively debated a phased rewrite of Chapter 78 that would lower by‑right pet limits from four to three, require microchipping and tighter transfer/breeding rules, add tethering limits, lower reclaim fees, exempt fostering, and add 180‑day compliance grace; substitute E (tethering changes) was placed before committee but the full package was referred to council without recommendation amid enforceability concerns over "accidental litter" language.
Milwaukee's Public Safety & Health Committee spent the bulk of its Dec. 4 meeting on a multi‑phase rewrite of the city's animal code that would tighten ownership, breeding and tethering rules and add tracking requirements for dogs and cats.
Sponsors and LRB counsel described phase 1 as a set of implementable changes favored by Neighborhood Services (DNS) and shelter partners that aim to reduce nuisance complaints and euthanasia rates. Key components in substitute E included:
- A lower by‑right limit: households could keep up to three dogs or cats older than five months without a permit; an "animal fancier" permit would authorize a fourth animal within numeric limits in section 78.5. - Mandatory microchipping and recordkeeping for transferred animals to improve traceability and returns to owners; shelters said they will offer free microchips on reclaim. - New tethering…
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