Raft of new bylaws for Taipei in July

CATS AND DOORBELLS: New rules covering feline healthcare are to be enforced, while convenience store door chimes must stay within certain decibel ranges

By Sean Lin / Staff reporter





The Taipei City Government yesterday gave an overview of several new policies scheduled to take effect next month, including a rule requiring cat owners have their pets microchipped and receive annual rabies vaccinations.

According to an amendment to a bylaw governing pets, pet shops and individuals must register animals by implanting chips in them, which would help discourage people from abandoning cats, the Taipei Animal Protection Office said.

It said that the bylaw previously only applied to dog owners, and that cat owners who fail to comply with the rule could be fined between NT$10,000 and NT$50,000.

A cat with a Taipei City Government rabies vaccination tag on its collar is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: CNA

In addition, pet owners must have their cats vaccinated every year against rabies, given that the nation is no longer rabies free.

Among other policy changes, with the high-speed rail to extend to Nangang Station at the beginning of next month, the last Dingpu-bound service on the MRT Bannan Line is to be pushed back from 12am to 12:12am to serve passengers transferring from the high-speed rail system to the metro system, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said.

The TRTC also said that it would roll out discounts for visitors to the Taipei Children’s Amusement Park to coincide with the start of the summer vacation.

The park is to open on Mondays, when it is normally closed, from the start of next month until Aug. 28, the company said.

People who visit the park on Mondays, as well as visitors who enter after 4pm, would be granted free entry during this period, it said.

Residents from low-income families who present documents validating their income can enter the park at half price in addition to receiving four vouchers for free entry every day during this period, it said.

Taipei residents can enter the park for free on Wednesdays during this period, the TRTC said.

Meanwhile, convenience stores will also have to follow a new bylaw governing their doorbells and jingles.

Between 10pm and 7am, doorbells at stores in residential areas should not exceed 52 decibels, while in residential and commercial complexes, doorbells should not be louder than 57 decibels from 11pm to 7am, the Taipei Department of Environmental Protection said.

The department said that it proposed the bylaw last year due to a flood of complaints from residents who said the store doorbells bothered them at night and affected their quality of living.

Stores whose chimes exceed the regulations could incur a fine of between NT$3,000 and NT$300,000, it said.

Among other new policies, the Taipei Department of Finance has set a 6 percent cap on rent increases paid by private firms operating on city-owned land.

The department said that rent to be paid by such firms would be equal to either 5 percent of the land value or 1.06 times the rent of the previous year, depending on which is smaller, thereby controlling the range of rent hikes prompted by land appreciation.

Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) earlier this month said that he hopes to encourage corporations to bid for the city’s superficies by setting the cap to reduce contingent increases in costs shouldered by firms operating on city-owned land.