Some communities with dog ordinances
Municipality Fine
Beavercreek $up to $150
Dayton $10 -$15
Fairborn up to $150
Huber Heights up to $150
Kettering up to $150
Miamisburg up to $165
Oakwood $25 for first offense, $50 thereafter (proposed)
The city of Oakwood on Monday night introduced an amended nuisance ordinance regarding pet owners, which would put them more in line with neighboring communities.
A random check of communities in Montgomery and Greene counties found that most have some type of ordinance requiring residents to pick up after their dog.
The fine for failure to do so differ by community ranging from $10 to $15 in Dayton to up to $150 in communities like Fairborn, Beavercreek, Huber Heights and Kettering.
The proposed Oakwood amendment carries a fine of $25 for the first offense within a rolling 12-month period and nothing less than $50 for each subsequent offense within a rolling 12-month period. This is in addition to a minor misdemeanor, which is included in the original ordinance.
“Oakwood is a walking community, nobody likes stepping in someone else’s dog’s mess,” Oakwood City Attorney Robert Jacques said.
The ordinance is being amended to clarify that defecation from animals, other than a wild animal under the jurisdiction of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, will be considered a “public nuisance” and therefore a finable offense.
Jacques said that the “clarification” came as a result of complaints by residents in hopes of charging an offender with littering.
The amended ordinance was introduced Monday night. Jacques said the council would deal with it at its meeting in November.
“Maintaining our quality of life is something Oakwood residents have come to expect.”
Pete Wagner, a resident of Oakwood, said that he always cleans up after his dog, but assumed he was already following the law.
“I honestly thought it was a law to pick up after your dog,” he said.
Naturally, anyone walking down the sidewalk of their neighborhood wouldn’t want to be on the wrong end of someone else’s negligent dog care.
“Carry a bag with you. No one likes stepping in it—I know I don’t,” Wager said. “I love dogs. They’ve got to go too, you just need to pick up after them.”
Wager wasn’t incorrect in assuming picking up after your pet was a law, but it just didn’t come with any fines.
Similar laws vary around the region.
Dayton’s ordinance allows a pet to defecate on a premise that the owner does not own, as long as it remains on the “public right-of-way.” Owners must still pick up after the dog.
The City of Huber Heights’ ordinance states that “No person shall keep or harbor any animal so as to create noxious, or offensive odors or unsanitary conditions which are a menace to the health, comfort or safety of the public,” but does not specifically mention that the owner is responsible for the removal of their pet’s waste.
Miamisburg Development Director Chris Fine said that it’s really up to the police to witness the act before issuing a citation to the pet owner.
“It is very rare for the police to issue citations for this offense. We simply do not receive a great deal of complaints on this issue,” Fine said.
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