TITLE 10: LOCAL LAWS DIVISION 1: FIRST SENATORIAL DISTRICT (ROTA)
§ 1122. Licensing. (a) Every owner of a dog(s) shall register such dog or dogs with the Rota Department of Natural Resources. The application for registration shall be made on the prescribed form(s), signed by the owner, and contain the applicant’s name, address, and contact information as well as the dog’s name, if any, the description of the dog to be registered, including the type or breed of dog. (b) The registration or license shall be issued to the owner upon the payment of a $25.00 licensing or registration fee per dog. However, if the dog is sterilized the fee shall be a $20.00 licensing or registration fee per sterilized dog. The license issued shall expire annually at midnight on the day of the month, one year from the date the dog was first registered, as designated by the Department of Natural Resources. Source: RLL 7-3, § 3; Repealed and reenacted by RLL 18-7 § 2(a) (Oct. 30, 2013); repealed and reenacted by RLL 23-03, § 2 (May 12, 2023). Commission Comment: RLL 18-7 contained, in addition to savings and severability clauses, the following: Section 1. Findings and Purposes. The First Senatorial District Delegation acknowledges that the people of Rota love their dogs. Most domesticated dogs are wonderful companions and provide protection to their owners. However, some domesticated and most often undomesticated stray dogs are responsible for a number of injuries, hospitalizations, surgeries and potential deaths. The Delegation is also cognizant that the Rota Dog Control Act, 10 CMC §§ 1121 et seq., does not impose a liability against dog owners for unregistered dogs and for injury to any person or damage to any property by a dog while at large. The Delegation finds the need to reassign the duties and responsibilities pursuant to the Rota Dog Control Act from the local office of the Department of Natural Resources to the Rota Municipal Council. The purpose of this Act is to make dog owners liable for injuries caused by dog, provide for penalties of unregistered dogs, and to transfer the duties responsibilities as provided under the Rota Dog Control Act to the Municipal Council. In codifying RLL 23-03, the law included changes to the finding and purposes section, severability, savings clause, and effective date provisions.