Dogs aren’t required to be registered yet. The post on Facebook and via email are asking for the number of dogs to ensure the HOA orders enough kits on 1/5/2023 after the policy is adopted. The Dog and Fining Policy shall be effective (the “Effective Date”) on the date that is fifteen (15) days after it has been adopted by the Board which is January 19, 2024. All dogs must be registered by March 19, 2024.
No, the offender will be fined. Repeat offences will also be reported to Howard County Animal Control.
Registered dogs will have tags for their collars. Your neighbors can anonymously report residents who they believe have non-registered dogs. Confirmed violators will receive non-compliance letters with the applicable fine.
Any dog residing on any Lot must be registered with the Association. This registration must occur, as applicable: 1) within sixty (60) days from the Effective Date of this Dog Policy; 2) for a new Owner with a dog, within sixty (60) days of the date of the deed conveying the Lot to the Owner; or 3) for an existing Owner that has a new dog residing on a Lot—within sixty (60) days of the dog being on the Lot. Failure to register any dog residing on any Lot will result in a fine of the Owner of the Lot associated with such dog. If an Owner does not register any dog residing on such Owner’s Lot it will be deemed a continuing violation and fines may be assessed to the offending Owner pursuant to the Association’s Fining Policy.
As the community grows, more stations will be installed; however, currently there is poop on the ground near several stations. One of the stations has over 20 piles of poop within 50 feet of it.
This would add additional cost to the HOA expenses and increase the monthly dues even more. The majority vote of unit owners has determined that Dog DNA Registration should be paid for by the dog owners (results below).
All costs associated with the DNA gathering and testing shall be levied on the Owner of the Lot on which the dog resides through a Single Benefit Assessment levied on the Owner and such Owner’s Lot, as such Single Benefit Assessment is provided in Section 6.4.5 of the Declaration.
On 2/24/23 Tim sent out a dog registration survey to all unit owners and tenants of Elkridge Crossing and sent out several reminders via email, the EC Facebook group and text message. He also provided everyone a link to anonymously report dog waste offenders https://maryland-services.com/elkridge-crossing/anonymous-report.
At that time there were 291 residential units in Elkridge Crossing + 5 Commercial units
-Of the 291 residential unit owners I’ve received 227 responses (78% response rate)
-Of the 227 responses, 149 votes were in support of requiring dog registration with DNA registration 65.7%
-Of the 149 votes for requiring dog registration with DNA registration, 125 (83.9%) votes were in support of the dog owners paying for the registration kits
Short Answer: There has been a major uptick in dog waste that isn’t being picked up all around the community. The HOA has tried to get residents to pick up waste several times via multiple methods. The majority vote of unit owners has determined that Dog DNA Registration is what is needed (results below).
Longer Answer: On 2/24/23 Tim sent out a dog registration survey to all unit owners and tenants of Elkridge Crossing and sent out several reminders via email, the EC Facebook group and text message. He also provided everyone a link to anonymously report dog waste offenders https://maryland-services.com/elkridge-crossing/anonymous-report.
At that time there were 291 residential units in Elkridge Crossing + 5 Commercial units
-Of the 291 residential unit owners I’ve received 227 responses (78% response rate)
-Of the 227 responses, 149 votes were in support of requiring dog registration with DNA registration 65.7%
-Of the 149 votes for requiring dog registration with DNA registration, 125 (83.9%) votes were in support of the dog owners paying for the registration kits
Voting Ends at 11:59pm EST on January 2, 2024.
The email below was sent to all unit owners on 12/13/2023.
Regarding the recent discussions on the Elkridge Crossing Facebook group related to dog poop offenders, some members of the community have questioned whether this policy should be adopted at our scheduled annual meeting on January 4, 2024 by the board. The board would like to take this up to the community to decide what the majority of owners would like to do. The details for the proposed policy as well as the FAQ can be viewed at the link below. Once you have reviewed the information, please select either yes or no whether you support the adoption of the policy. The board requires 51% of owners in the community to select no in order to terminate the policy from the agenda. If 51% is not achieved, then the policy would remain on the agenda for the board to vote on. If the policy is voted against and is dropped from the agenda, the board will vote on the adoption of the fines. Without the Dog DNA Registration policy, in order for fines to be issued to the offender, photo or video proof needs to be available putting the burden of proof on the community to actively help catch the offenders. Related to the dog waste stations, more will be installed as the community grows. However, one of the stations has over 20 piles of poop within 50 feet. There are over 45 piles of dog waste in the community which haven’t been picked up as of 12/7/2023.
To submit your vote visit: https://maryland-services.com/elkridge-crossing/dog-registration-policy-approval
Any dog waste found in the Community shall be tested for DNA for a determination to which Owner the dog belongs. Once a determination on waste ownership is made, in addition to paying all costs associated with the DNA testing, a fine may be assessed to the offending Owner pursuant to the Association’s Fining Policy.
Single Occurrence Violations
First Violation: If the Owner is held to be in violation, the Owner will be assessed a fine of up to One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) per violation.
Second Violation: If the Owner is held to be in violation for the same or a substantially similar offense for a second time within a 12-month period, the Owner will be assessed a fine of up to Two Hundred Fifty Dollars ($250.00) per violation.
Third Violation (of the same or substantially the same offense within a 12-month period): If the Owner is held to be in violation for the same or a substantially similar offense a third or more time within a 12-month period, the Owner will be assessed a fine of up to Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) per violation.
More Than Three Violations (of the same or substantially the same offense within a 12-month period): If the Owner is held to be in violation for the same or substantially similar offense a third or more time within a 12-month period, the Owner will be assessed a fine of up to One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) per violation.
You can view the survey at https://maryland-services.com/elkridge-crossing/dog-registration-survey
Owners who are on qualifying Government Assistance programs may be eligible for subsidized DNA registration kits. The subsidy shall not apply to waste testing kits, testing fee or fines.
Temporary, non-DNA registrations will be available for situations where a dog is going to be in the community for a short period. To obtain this temporary registration you must provide proof you are fostering the dog from the agency. This registration is renewable with reverification from the agency.
A doggie daycare being run out of the community is a violation of the Declaration.
Pursuant to Section 9.2.4. of the Declaration No-Impact Home Based Businesses. Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, pursuant to Title 11B of the Maryland Homeowners Association Act (the “HOA Act”), “No-impact home-based businesses” are permitted upon the Lots subject to the following requirements:
(a) Owners shall notify the Association before operating a No-impact homebased business.
(b) No-impact home-based businesses are expressly prohibited in any Common Areas.
(c) Such additional requirements as may be specified by the Board of Directors of the Association, to the extent permitted by applicable law. The foregoing provisions of this Section are intended to be a restatement of the provisions of Section 11B-111.1 of the HOA Act, and any future amendments or modifications thereto shall be deemed incorporated by reference herein as a part hereof.
HOA cameras are being installed the week of 12/11/23. All entrances including the school steps will have cameras watching them and the HOA will monitor for this. There have been anonymous reports of Elkridge Crossing residents who aren’t picking up after their dog(s). For reports that were able to verified, those owners have been fined.
Temporary, non-DNA registrations will be available for situations where a dog is going to be in the community for a short period.
A dog is considered residing if it spends half a week (84 continuous or non-continuous hours) or more in the community. A dog residing in the community must be registered.
If traces have been left on the ground, showing that you have made the attempt to clean up most of the waste it will not be collected for lab sampling.
Failure to register any dog residing on any Lot will result in a fine of the Owner of the Lot associated with such dog. If an Owner does not register any dog residing on such Owner’s Lot it will be deemed a continuing violation and fines may be assessed to the offending Owner pursuant to the Association’s Fining Policy.
Continuing Violations
First Violation: If the Owner is held to be in violation, the Owner will be assessed a fine of up to One Hundred Dollars ($100.00) per violation plus an additional Twenty-Five Dollars ($25.00) per day per violation until the violation is cured.
Second Violation: If the Owner is held to be in violation of the same or a substantially similar offense for a second time within a 12-month period, the Owner will be assessed a fine of up to Two Hundred Fifty Dollars ($250.00) per violation plus an additional Twenty Five Dollars ($25.00) per day per violation until the violation is cured.
Third Violation: If the Owner is held to be in violation of the same or a substantially similar offense a third or more time within a 12-month period, the Owner will be assessed a fine of up to Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) per violation plus an additional fine of up to Twenty-Five Dollars ($25.00) per day per violation until the violation is cured.
More than Three Violations: If the Owner is held to be in violation of the same or a substantially similar offense a third or more time within a 12-month period, the Owner will be assessed a fine of up to One Thousand Dollars ($1,000.00) per violation plus an additional fine of up to Twenty-Five Dollars ($25.00) per day per violation until the violation is cured.
During the approximate 2 week window after the cameras are installed and operational The HOA will be monitoring to see if people from outside the community are brining dogs into the community. The HOA will pay for test that are not matched to a registered sample. Once a dog is later registered, the unit owner will be fined for all the applicable testing fees and fines.
Yes, there aren’t laws that prevent the requirement to require pet DNA. The lab is accredited to the ISO/IEC 17025:2017 standard.
Yes, the policy and fines can legally be enforced just like dues assessments. Failure to pay HOA monthly dues, late fees and fines will result in legal action again the unit owner.
