The county has no ordinance using the word 'hoarding,' but the PAWS Rules make neglect and cruelty unlawful and let officers seize animals kept without adequate food, water, shelter, or veterinary care. Serious cases are prosecuted under state cruelty law.
Rutherford County addresses hoarding through its neglect and cruelty provisions. Article XVI makes it unlawful to neglect an animal, and the Rules define neglect to include failing to provide adequate food, water, veterinary care, sanitary conditions, or weatherproof shelter. Article XIX bars torture, torment, deprivation of necessary sustenance, and cruel treatment. Animal Services officers may seize neglected animals and, with a court order, remove animals from a property. Aggravated cases fall under Tennessee's cruelty statute (T.C.A. §39-14-202). There is no numeric animal cap, so hoarding is enforced on welfare and nuisance grounds.
Neglect and cruelty violations carry a $50-per-violation fine, each animal and each day a separate offense; owners may forfeit animals and be ordered to animal-offender school.
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See how Rutherford County's animal hoarding rules stack up against other locations.
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