City of Cedar Rapids

Cedar Rapids Animal Care & Control (CRACC) provides animal control services for the City of Cedar Rapids only.

Animal Control Officers are authorized to investigate possible animal related law violations and take appropriate enforcement action. Each year, CRACC receives more than 30,000 calls for information and service. Officers conduct hundreds of investigations, ranging from relatively minor code violations to major animal cruelty cases.

In some cases, officers may promote voluntary compliance by educating owners about their animal care responsibilities; other situations may warrant administrative action and/or prosecution. Additionally, officers rescue animals that are stray, sick or injured, or endangered by other situations.

If you are aware of a situation that you believe may harm or jeopardize animal welfare (such as animal abuse, neglect, injury, or endangerment) or public health or safety (such as a bite, attack, or harassment of a person by an animal), or that may otherwise be in violation of an animal related law, we urge you to contact our office and report what you have seen or heard. A dispatcher or Animal Control representative will take a report and forward the information to a trained Animal Control Officer for investigation. Please contact us:

• Animal related emergencies and urgent matters may be reported at any time of the day or night, any day of the week. Please call 319-286-5993.

• NOTE: For any human life threatening situation, please call 9-1-1.

Cedar Rapids Animal Care and Control Officers enforce the Municipal Code of Cedar Rapids Chapter 23, and 23A.  These laws are designed to:

• Protect citizens from rabies, animals from rabies and other health hazards.
• Protect animals from neglect, inhumane treatment, and abuse
• Protect public safety
• Encourage responsible pet ownership
• Assess penalties for violators

CRACC investigates complaints within the city limits only. The types of complaints we respond to include:

• Animal neglect
• Animal cruelty
• Animals allowed to run loose by their owners
• Sick/injured wildlife
• Animals in peril
• Animal bites
• Dogs threatening or attacking humans or other animals
• Illegal ownership of dangerous animals

For more information about animal control laws, please see the City of Cedar Rapids Municipal Code.

Making a complaint about an animal in your neighborhood
Contact us at 319-286-5993 with the following information:

• Your name, address, and phone number. This information is necessary so that the Animal Control Officer responding to the complaint can contact you for more information or to follow-up.

• The owner's name, address, and phone number. The more information that you can provide about the owner, the more efficiently the complaint can be resolved. We do require an exact address in order to respond to a complaint. So please look for the address on the mailbox or house.

• A major intersection near the owner's address. This helps the officer quickly locate the address.

• Information about the animal. The species, breed, gender, color, age, etc.

• The specifics of your complaint - If animals are allowed to run loose, when are they usually out? If an animal is being abused, what specifically is being done to the animal?

What should I do about barking dogs?
Barking dogs are enforced under Municipal Code 62.01(b): No person shall permit any loud and raucous noise in, or upon, any premises owned, occupied, or controlled by that person, and which are in the vicinity of any residence or hospital, which causes unreasonable distress to the occupants of said residence or hospital.

Barking dog complaints should be reported to the Cedar Rapids Police Department for follow-up.  Please call 319-286-5491.

Animal Bites - Duty to Report
It is the duty of the owner of any animal which has bitten or attacked a person, or the duty of “anyone having knowledge of a person being bitten by or receiving a skin abrasion from an animal within the city to promptly report such fact to the city animal shelter.” (Cedar Rapids Municipal Code 23.26).

What do I do if an animal bites me?
Any time a domestic animal bites a human, it must be quarantined and observed for rabies. Wild animals that bite humans must be euthanized and tested for disease.

• Have someone confine or keep track of the animal and call the police or Animal Care & Control immediately.

• If this is not possible, report as much of the following information as possible:

• Owner's name, address, and phone number
• Animal's rabies tag number, year, and county
• Type/breed of animal
• Color
• Size/approximate weight
• Gender

• Immediately flush the bite wound with soap and water for five minutes. In the unlikely event of rabies exposure, this will greatly reduce the chance of infection.

• Seek medical attention immediately.