The bill amends Section 4-13-1 of the General Laws in Chapter 4-13 entitled "Dogs," providing city and town councils the authority to create and enforce dog-related ordinances with varying penalties. It specifies that penalties for dog offenses can range from not exceeding ten dollars for the first offense to not exceeding twenty-five dollars for the third and subsequent offenses within a year. The bill includes insertions that update the enforcement and penalty provisions for dog-related ordinances across several towns, including Barrington, which is authorized to issue citations with fines ranging from twenty-five dollars for the first offense to seventy-five dollars for the third and subsequent offenses within a calendar year. Other towns, such as Bristol and Portsmouth, are authorized to regulate the number of licensed dogs at a single-family residence, with penalties for non-compliance.

The bill also grants authority to the town councils of Richmond, Scituate, and Smithfield, among others, to establish fines for animal control offenses and allow citations to be issued by animal control or police officers. Smithfield's town council is authorized to prescribe penalties for violations of the town's animal control ordinances, with significant deletions of previous fine limits and new language permitting citations to be paid by mail. The bill further authorizes the Burrillville and Foster town councils to issue mail-payable citations and set penalties for violations, including an impoundment fee in Burrillville. The act would take effect immediately upon passage.

Statutes affected:
2539: 4-13-1