St. Clair County, IL Animal Ordinances: Mandatory Spay/Neuter (2026)

St. Clair County Animal Services Code Sec. 3-4-15 escalates penalties on repeat running-at-large dogs. The first time a dog is impounded, no chip or surgery is required. 00 fee. A third impoundment for the same conduct triggers the spay/neuter mandate: the code states the dog "shall be spayed or neutered within thirty (30) days of being reclaimed," and if the owner does not comply, the dog is not released and stays impounded until the surgery is done. The Administrator, a veterinarian licensed in Illinois who runs the Animal Services program under Sec.

, and the Animal Control Warden enforce this chapter. Running at large itself is separately punished as a petty offense under Sec. 00 for a third and subsequent violation, with the State's Attorney prosecuting. Sec. 3-4-14 traces its authority to the Illinois Animal Control Act, 510 ILCS 5/26. Because the spay/neuter trigger and the microchip trigger sit in the same code section and build on each other (chip at offense two, sterilize at offense three), an owner whose dog is repeatedly picked up loose in the unincorporated county faces increasing cost and, eventually, a court-ordered veterinary procedure before the animal can go home.