HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 962        FILED ON: 1/13/2009

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1401

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Nine

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An Act relative to dog training areas in the Commonwealth..

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Chapter 140 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 1994 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 157 the following section: 

Section 157A. All owners of sporting dog training areas in this Commonwealth shall be exempt and immune from civil action or criminal prosecution in any matter relating to noise or noise pollution resulting from the normal and accepted dog training activity of sporting dog training areas, provided that the owners of the sporting dog training areas are in compliance with any applicable noise control laws or ordinances extant at the time the establishment of the sporting dog training area was initiated. The owners of sporting dog training areas shall not be subject to any action for nuisance and no person(s) or court in the Commonwealth shall enjoin the use or operation of the sporting dog training areas on the basis of noise or noise pollution provided that the owners of the sporting dog training areas are in compliance with any applicable noise control laws or ordinances extant at the time the establishment of the sporting dog training area was initiated.