Amendment of Municipal Code Section 7-12-290 regarding cruelty to animals and increasing fines to $5,000 for each offense. Passed as amended in committee.
Votes › Public Safety › 15th Ward: Raymond A. Lopez
- Record number: SO2025-0015393
- Type: Ordinance; category: Municipal Code Amendments
- Status: Final
- Sponsor: Raymond A. Lopez (15th Ward)
- Co-sponsors (2): James M. Gardiner (45th Ward), Matthew J. O'Shea (19th Ward)
- Committee: Committee on Public Safety
- Introduction Date: Feb 19, 2025
- Final Action Date: Mar 18, 2026
- Official record: Office of the City Clerk
Roll call: Passed Mar 18, 2026
50 yea, 0 nay. On motion of Alderperson Hopkins, and unsuccessful motion to reconsider by Alderperson Mitchell, the matter was Passed. Voted at the City Council meeting of Mar 18, 2026.
Yea (50): Daniel La Spata (1), Brian Hopkins (2), Pat Dowell (3), Lamont J. Robinson (4), Desmon C. Yancy (5), William E. Hall (6), Gregory I. Mitchell (7), Michelle A. Harris (8), Anthony Beale (9), Peter Chico (10), Nicole T. Lee (11), Julia M. Ramirez (12), Marty Quinn (13), Jeylú B. Gutiérrez (14), Raymond A. Lopez (15), Stephanie D. Coleman (16), David H. Moore (17), Derrick G. Curtis (18), Matthew J. O'Shea (19), Jeanette B. Taylor (20), Ronnie L. Mosley (21), Michael D. Rodriguez (22), Silvana Tabares (23), Monique L. Scott (24), Byron Sigcho-López (25), Jessica L. Fuentes (26), Walter R. Burnett (27), Jason C. Ervin (28), Chris Taliaferro (29), Ruth Cruz (30), Felix Cardona Jr. (31), Scott Waguespack (32), Rossana Rodríguez Sánchez (33), William Conway (34), Anthony J. Quezada (35), Gilbert Villegas (36), Emma Mitts (37), Nicholas Sposato (38), Samantha Nugent (39), Andre Vasquez Jr. (40), Anthony V. Napolitano (41), Brendan Reilly (42), Timothy R. Knudsen (43), Bennett R. Lawson (44), James M. Gardiner (45), Angela Clay (46), Matthew J. Martin (47), Leni Manaa-Hoppenworth (48), Maria E. Hadden (49), Debra L. Silverstein (50)
Plain-language summary
Written by AI (claude-opus-5-5) from the ordinance text only: O2025-0015393.as amended.pdf. AI can make mistakes; the official document always wins.
This ordinance changes Chicago's animal cruelty law (Municipal Code Section 7-12-290), which lists things people may not do to animals. According to the title, it raises fines to $5,000 for each offense. The text also appears to add rules on veterinary care, staking out dogs, and tethering animals outdoors in cold weather, but the document does not clearly show which words are being removed and which are being added.
- The title says fines for animal cruelty rise to $5,000 for each offense, plus forfeiture of the animal, and each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense.
- The text appears to require reasonable veterinary care for animals, in addition to the required rabies vaccine.
- The text appears to bar staking out any dog on private property for more than two hours in a row.
- The text appears to limit outdoor tethering overnight (10 p.m. to 6 a.m.) and in cold weather (below 45°F or during weather advisories) unless a proper insulated shelter is available.
- The executive director may impound animals in dangerous conditions; if the owner does not fix the conditions within 7 days, the animal becomes the property of the commission. The ordinance takes effect upon passage and publication.
Money
- $5,000: fine for each animal cruelty offense, according to the title
- $1,000: a minimum fine amount that appears in the text, likely the amount being replaced (the document's formatting makes this unclear)
- $300 to $1,000: a fine range for violating 'any other provision' that appears in the text; the document does not clearly show whether this range stays or is removed
Who: People who own or care for animals in Chicago, along with the animals themselves, are affected by these rules and fines.
Where: City of Chicago (sponsored by Alderman Raymond A. Lopez, 15th Ward)
Timeline
- Feb 19, 2025: Referred, City Council. The matter was Referred to Committee.
- Mar 3, 2026: Recommended to Pass, Committee on Public Safety. The matter was recommended to Pass by controlling legislative body.
- Mar 3, 2026: Amended
- Mar 3, 2026: Substituted, Committee on Public Safety. The matter was Substituted in Committee.
- Mar 18, 2026: Passed, City Council (50 yea, 0 nay), at the City Council meeting. On motion of Alderperson Hopkins, and unsuccessful motion to reconsider by Alderperson Mitchell, the matter was Passed.
Documents
- 15393 CL.pdf (Committee Letter)
- O2025-0015393.as amended.pdf (Legislation)
- ORD2025_AnimalCruelty.pdf (Legislation)
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