Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Animal Control topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Harrison Township adopts comprehensive animal-control ordinance aligned with Macomb County practices
Summary
Ordinance 407 repeals and replaces Chapter 14, establishing new licensing, tethering and humane-treatment standards, Trap–Neuter–Return rules for community cats, and misdemeanor penalties; it was adopted May 12, 2025 and becomes effective 30 days after publication.
The Harrison Township Board on May 12 adopted Ordinance 407, replacing Chapters II and III of the township animal-control code with a comprehensive ordinance aligned to Macomb County practices.
Adam Wit, township clerk, told trustees the rewrite repeals existing language and replaces it with updated definitions, licensing rules and enforcement mechanisms. The ordinance requires dog licensing and current rabies vaccination (citing MCL 287.266), sets a household presumptive maximum of three dogs or three cats (with limited exceptions and a zoning-board-of-appeals process for additional animals), and establishes tethering prohibitions and standards for humane shelter, feeding, exercise and veterinary care.
The ordinance details rules for kennels and shows, quarantine after bites, procedures for retrieving strays, and conditions for Trap–Neuter–Return (TNR) for community cats. TNR caregivers must register with the county program, ensure sterilization and ear-tipping, follow specified feeding-window and station-location rules, and return ear-tipped cats to their original location unless veterinary care is required.
Ordinance 407 also sets criminal penalties for violations (misdemeanor punishable by up to 90 days in jail or a fine up to $500, or both) and requires hobby breeders to register and meet state MDARD requirements. The ordinance amends the township code’s penalty sections to reflect these sanctions and includes severability and repeal provisions.
Trustee David Bratto moved adoption and Treasurer Lawrence Tomenello seconded. The minutes record AYES from Kenneth Verkest, Adam Wit, Lawrence Tomenello, Brian Batkins, David Bratto, Liza Brown and Dean Olgiati, and the ordinance was adopted; it becomes effective 30 days after publication, per the ordinance’s effective-date section.
The ordinance references state law where applicable (for example, dog-license requirements under MCL 287.266) and assigns enforcement authority to Macomb County Animal Control and the Macomb County Sheriff’s Department as enumerated in the text.
