Emerald Isle Public Works Department

Small Animal Control 

Effective May 1, 2008 the new animal trapping procedure will be as follows:

1. Emerald Isle citizen contacts EI Town Hall to request to borrow a Town cat trap.  Citizen visits Town Hall to sign out the trap and takes it back to their home and sets the trap.

2. Emerald Isle Town staff contacts Carteret County Animal Control via email or telephone to advise Animal Control that a trap has been loaned to PERSON’S NAME at PERSON’S ADDRESS in Emerald Isle. 

3. Carteret County Animal Control staff will visit the location(s) in Emerald Isle on a daily basis (weekdays only) to check to see if a trap is properly baited or if an animal has been trapped.  Carteret County Animal Control will either make sure the trap is properly baited (if no animal is trapped) or will collect any trapped animal.

4. If the Carteret County Animal Control staff actually collects an animal, they will leave a written confirmation to let the person know that an animal has been collected.

5. Animal Control will carry captured cats to the Animal Shelter on Hibbs Road.  Animal Control will dispose of other animals trapped in the most appropriate manner. 

6. On Fridays, if no animal has been trapped, Animal Control will disengage the trap and will reset it on Monday.  This procedure is to insure that an animal does not remain trapped without food or shelter over a weekend.

7. After the citizen no longer has a need for the trap, the citizen is responsible for returning the trap to Emerald Isle Town Hall. Town Hall staff will contact Carteret County Animal Control via email or telephone to inform them that the trap is no longer deployed in the field at that location.  The maximum borrow time for a Live animal trap is 1 week.  A citizen will be able to re-borrow a live animal trap by contacting Town Hall staff.  Town Hall staff will make it a practice to call any citizen that has not returned a trap within one week to inquire about the continuing need for the trap, and will advise Carteret County Animal Control as appropriate.