Rawlins Addresses Nuisance Regulations

4/9/2025 |

Bigfoot 99 file photo

In Rawlins, the new nuisance regulations require residents to dispose of animal carcasses within 48 hours, unless directed by authorities to take immediate action.

Since last May, Rawlins officials have been working to revise and update the city’s nuisance ordinances to make them more practical to implement.

Speaking at the February 18th Rawlins city council meeting, City Attorney Pinita Maberry-Nave explained that the existing nuisance regulations are too vague and challenging to enforce.

During the April 1^st Rawlins city council meeting, Attorney Maberry-Nave presented changes to section eight of the Rawlins municipal code governing dead animals for a second reading. All changes to local ordinances must be read and approved during three separate public meetings. The first reading occurred during the March 18th city council meeting, where the governing body voted to extend the time limit for removing dead animals from 12 to 48 hours. Under the newly amended ordinance, residents have 48 hours to dress and transport leftover animal parts to the city landfill.

Councilman Steve Sanger asked if the 48-hour time limit should begin after a nuisance complaint is filed, rather than at the time of the animal’s death.

Councilman Sanger motioned to approve the second reading of the dead animal ordinance, with his proposed change giving residents 48 hours to remove animal carcasses after a nuisance violation has been reported to the city.

Vice Mayor Darril Garner said the 48-hour time limit may be too long. When a nuisance is reported, the violation should be addressed immediately.

City Attorney Pinita Maberry-Nave explained that the ordinance is designed to prevent nuisances before they occur and agreed that granting residents extra time to address a reported nuisance undermines the regulation’s intended purpose.

Instead, Attorney Maberry-Nave proposed revising the ordinance to grant the responding officer the discretion to decide whether additional time should be allowed for the removal of a carcass. If the animal remains are deemed to be a threat to public health, the violator will be required to dispose of them immediately.

Councilman Sanger’s initial motion to amend the ordinance, which would have provided a 48-hour time frame to address a reported violation, failed due to the lack of a second.

Instead, the Rawlins city council voted to retain the original wording of the ordinance, which requires dead animals to be removed within 48 hours. Additionally, the governing body revised the ordinance to grant code enforcement or police officers the authority to determine the amount of time given to remedy a violation after it is reported.