City Council Staff Report Page 1 of 3 September 22, 2026 Staff Report
Agenda Item No. 5.2
DATE: September 22, 2026
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
FROM: Kris Kokotaylo, City Attorney
SUBJECT: Waive Full Reading and Introduce an Ordinance of the City Council of the City of Union City Amending Certain Sections of Title 8, “Animals” of the Union City Municipal Code to Update Regulations Pertaining to Vicious and Potentially Dangerous Dogs
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Union City Municipal Code (“UCMC”) Title 8, “Animals”, regulates, in part, the licensure of dogs and the abatement of vicious dogs. Staff has requested that these chapters be updated to grant the City authority to deny a dog license based on a previously documented history of vicious or dangerous behavior occurring outside City limits. The City Attorney’s Office prepared a draft ordinance to update the UCMC.
On June 1, 2026, the Legislation and Policy Committee considered the proposed revisions and recommended an ordinance be brought to the full City Council for consideration.
Staff recommends that the City Council waive full reading and introduce by title only an ordinance to amend certain sections of UCMC Title 8, “Animals”, pertaining to vicious and potentially dangerous dogs.
STRATEGIC PLAN ALIGNMENT
This item is not directly related to the strategic plan.
BACKGROUND
UCMC Chapter 8.08 requires every person in the City who owns a dog over four months old to obtain a dog license for each dog. UCMC Chapter 8.08, as currently drafted, does not provide criteria for denying or revoking a license and only requires an application, an anti-rabies vaccine, and payment of a fee to obtain the license. Currently, there is no language in the UCMC that provides a basis for denying or revoking a dog license.
UCMC Chapter 8.14 provides the procedure for abatement of vicious dogs. UCMC Section 8.14.020 provides that a dog that demonstrates an attack resulting in injury to a Agenda Item No. 5.2
City Council Staff Report Page 2 of 3 September 22, 2026 7 0 3
person who is conducting themselves peacefully and lawfully (including those carrying out postal duties) is presumed vicious. The Animal Control Officer may investigate an incident reported to them concerning a vicious dog, certify their findings, and seize the vicious dog and confine it to a shelter.
City staff has recently encountered cases in which a dog deemed vicious in another jurisdiction was rehomed in Union City. Under the UCMC's current language, the City lacks authority to deny the dog a license on the basis that it was deemed vicious in another jurisdiction. Further, staff cannot impose additional conditions regarding keeping the dog within City limits. This results in a situation where a vicious dog may be banned in one jurisdiction and rehomed in Union City, with no way to prevent it. UCMC text revisions were requested in order to address this. The item was prepared by the City Attorney’s Office and presented to the Legislation and Policy Committee on June 1, 2026, where the Committee recommended forwarding the item to the full City Council.
DISCUSSION
Several jurisdictions allow the denial or revocation of a dog license if the dog is deemed vicious or potentially dangerous in another jurisdiction. Staff has prepared the proposed ordinance to reflect and align with the ordinances of these other jurisdictions.
Specifically, the proposed ordinance amends UCMC Section 8.08.040 to create a basis for the City to deny a dog license/license renewal for the following grounds:
• The City has received at least one complaint, signed under penalty of perjury, stating that the applicant for a dog has allowed it to run loose or escape, or has neglected it or another animal;
• The applicant has been cited for violating a state law, county code, or municipal code relating to the care and control of animals; • A court or agency of appropriate jurisdiction has determined that the dog is a nuisance, or that the dog is a potentially dangerous dog or vicious dog, under a state law, county code, or municipal code;
• The license application contains a material misrepresentation of fact.
Additionally, the ordinance amends Chapter 8.14, Abatement of Vicious Dogs, to provide that a dog is deemed vicious if it has been declared vicious in another jurisdiction, and establishes additional requirements for dogs declared vicious that are not disposed of.
These include requirements related to, among other matters, insurance, the design of the dog’s enclosure, a muzzle requirement, registration, and payment of City fees to recover its costs of enforcing and ensuring compliance with the section.
The ordinance also requires the City’s consent to change ownership of a vicious dog, and notification to the City if the dog has escaped or died.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no direct fiscal impact with adopting the proposed ordinance.
Agenda Item No. 5.2
City Council Staff Report Page 2 of 3 September 22, 2026 7 0 3
Agenda Item No. 5.2
City Council Staff Report Page 3 of 3 September 22, 2026 7 0 3
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council waive full reading and introduce by title only an ordinance to amend certain sections of UCMC Title 8, “Animals”, pertaining to vicious and potentially dangerous dogs.
Prepared by: Juliet Vaughn, Associate
Submitted by: Kristopher Kokotaylo, City Attorney
Attachments
1. Proposed Ordinance