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3 Minn. Stat. § 347.50, subd. 3. B. Designation and Right to Hearing The state statute does not specify precisely which individuals within the jurisdiction may designate a dog as dangerous or potentially dangerous. However, the authority declaring a dog as dangerous must provide the owner with notice and the opportunity for a hearing before an impartial hearing officer. Minn. Stat. § 347.541. The statute sets forth detailed requirements for the notice that is sent to the owner. See Minn. Stat. § 347.541, subd. 3. The hearing officer must be an impartial employee of the local government or an impartial person retained to conduct the hearing. Minn. Stat. § 347.541, subd. 4. Note that these notice and hearing requirements in the statute only apply to dangerous dog designations, not to designations of potentially dangerous dogs. C. General Requirements for Dangerous Dogs The statute requires an owner of a dog designated as a dangerous dog to keep the dog in a proper enclosure 1 while on the owner’s property. If outside the proper enclosure, the dog must be muzzled and restrained by a substantial leash. Minn. Stat. § 347.52(a). If the owner rents the property where the dog will reside, the owner must disclose the designation to the property owner when entering into or renewing the lease. Minn. Stat. § 347.52(e). Additionally, dangerous dogs must be sterilized at the owner’s expense within 30 days of their designation, or if the owner fails to do so, the authority may seize the dog and sterilize it at the owner’s expense. Minn. Stat. § 347.52(d). As discussed below, all dangerous dogs must be annually registered in the applicable jurisdiction and have a tag affixed to their collar reflecting their dangerous dog registration. Minn. Stat. § 347.51, sub. 1, 7. D. Registration of Dangerous Dogs State law requires all dangerous dogs to be registered with the municipal or county authority that has responsibility for animal control in the jurisdiction (the “animal control authority”). Minn. Stat. §§ 347.51, subd. 1; 347.52(b). To obtain a registration, the owner must present sufficient evidence that: (1) a proper enclosure exists for the dangerous dog on the premises, as well as a warning sign that there is a dangerous dog on the property; (2) the owner has obtained a surety bond or liability insurance policy of at least $300,000, payable to any person injured by the dangerous dog; (3) the owner has paid an annual fee of not more than $500,2 in addition to any regular dog licensing fees; and (4) the owner has had a microchip implanted in the dangerous dog and provided the details to the authority. 1 “Proper enclosure” means securely confined indoors or in a securely enclosed and locked pen or structure suitable to prevent the animal from escaping and providing protection from the elements for the dog. A proper enclosure does not include a porch, patio, or any part of a house, garage, or other structure that would allow the dog to exit of its own volition, or any house or structure in which windows are open or in which door or window screens are the only obstacles that prevent the dog from exiting. Minn. Stat. § 347.50, Subd. 4. 2 The statute expressly authorizes local jurisdictions to charge owners of dangerous dogs an annual fee in addition to any regular dog licensing fees. Minn. Stat. § 347.51, subd. 3.