ISLE OF PALMS, SC (WCSC) -
People who live on the Isle of Palms with a dog must have a dog permit with the city.
Isle of Palms City Council is considering making that rule apply to anyone who visits.
The council is expected to vote an an ordinance on Tuesday at the council meeting that starts at 6 p.m. Right now residents must pay an annual fee of $5 for a dog permit.
If the Isle of Palms City Council passes the new ordinance visitors will be charged $10 for the permit.
Dog owners will be required to provide veterinarian approved records showing their dog has received current rabies vaccinations.
"One thing that I like about the proposal tomorrow night is the ordinance change that would give my animal control officer the ability to enforce a state law in the form of city ordinance that requires people to have proof of rabies vaccinations for their dogs whether they are guests or visitors here or residents," said Capt. Jeffrey Swain with the Isle of Palms Police Department.
If passed, the city will alert people through their website, social media and they'll also consider talking with rental property managers to pass the word on to their guests.
"There's always a transition period... we give them a grace period. We do that through warnings instead of actual citations," Swain said.
If residents are caught violating the rule they could be fined between $133 and $1,092.
"The city's website is maybe going to even have a portal where people can pay for and obtain a dog license in advance. There's some talk about that but there's nothing confirmed as of yet," Swain said.
Sullivan's Island currently requires residents and visitors to have permits for their dogs.
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