Two new ordinances approved by Chesterfield City Council now in effect

On December 1, 2014, the City of Chesterfield City Council approved two new ordinances which are now in effect. 

Ordinance 2823 regulates the maintenance and keeping of dogs and cats on residential property.  The ordinance states that It shall be unlawful for any person to own, harbor, shelter, keep, control, maintain or possess in or on his/her residential property more than four (4) dogs or six (6) cats or a combination of six (6) dogs and cats provided there are no more than four dogs.

Exceptions of this ordinance include the instance of the birth of a litter of puppies or kittens, wherein they shall be allowed in or on residential premises for a period of four months without violating the limitations of the ordinance.

The restrictions of this ordinance shall not apply to the operation of a pet shop, pet spa, veterinarian’s office or kennel engaged in the boarding of dogs and/or cats if such pet shop, pet spa, veterinarian’s office or kennel has been properly licensed and approved by the City of Chesterfield.

City Council also voted in a Ordinance 2824 which prohibits all persons operating a moving motor vehicle on roads exclusively within the jurisdiction of the City of Chesterfield from creating, reading, or sending a text message or other electronic message.   Talking on the phone while operating a vehicle is still permitted. 

Exceptions to this ordinance include authorized emergency vehicles; reporting illegal activity, requesting medical or other emergency help or to relay information between a transit or for-hire operator and that operator’s dispatcher, in which the device is permanently affixed to the vehicle.   This does not apply to any device that is permanently embedded into the architecture and design of the motor vehicle. 

Exceptions include being able to text or e-mail if the vehicle is lawfully parked or stopped, and using factory-installed or aftermarket global positioning systems (GPS) or wireless communications devices used to transmit or receive data as part of a digital dispatch system.  Additionally, voice-operated technology and the use of two-way radio transmitters or receivers by a licensee of the Federal Communications Commission in the Amateur Radio Service are also excluded.

For questions or further clarification regarding these ordinances, call 636.537.3000.