SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2929

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

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SECTION 1. Section 136A of chapter 140 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 2 and 7, the figure “174F” and inserting in place thereof, in each instance, the following figure:- 174G.

SECTION 2. Said section 136A of said chapter 140, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by inserting, after the definition of “Kennel”, the following definition:-

“Licensee”, a person who owns and maintains a kennel that has received a kennel license from the relevant licensing authority.

SECTION 3. Section 137A of said chapter 140, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out subsections (a) and (b) and inserting in place thereof the following 2 subsections:-

(a) A person maintaining a kennel shall obtain a kennel license. A licensing authority shall issue, suspend, renew and revoke kennel licenses as specified in this chapter and any other law. In the case of an applicant for initial licensure or license renewal, a licensing authority shall deny a kennel license until a kennel has passed inspection by an animal control officer.

(b)(1) The issuing city or town shall determine the period of time for which a kennel license shall be valid, including the date of issuance of the license through the date on which the license expires, inclusive, and shall further determine the fee for the issuance and renewal of a license; provided, however, that in determining the amount of the license fee for a kennel, a dog under the age of 3 months shall not be counted in the number of dogs kept in a kennel. The name and address of the owner of each dog kept in a kennel, if other than the person maintaining the kennel, shall be kept at the kennel and available for inspection by an animal control officer, natural resource officer, deputy natural resource officer, fish and game warden or police officer. A kennel that owns or keeps a dog over the age of 6 months shall comply with section 145B.

(2) A commercial boarding or training kennel shall maintain records of individual dog licenses, as required in section 137, for all dogs in its care.

SECTION 4. Said section 137A of said chapter 140, as so appearing, is hereby further amended by striking out subsection (d) and inserting in place thereof the following 3 subsections:-

(d) The licensing authority shall specify on the license the type of kennel and the maximum number of animals that may be maintained by the licensee. Such number shall be determined by the licensing authority and the animal control officer following the required inspection. For commercial boarding or training kennels, the number of animals shall be determined following the required inspection and in accordance with regulations promulgated pursuant to section 174G to ensure the property can support the number of animals while ensuring their health and safety.

(e)(1) Annually, not later than June 1, the licensing authority shall send to the department a list of all kennels and their addresses licensed by the city or town pursuant to this section.

(2) The department shall annually review the list of kennels submitted as required by this section to evaluate the compliance of municipalities issuing kennel licenses in accordance with this chapter.

(f) A person who violates this section shall be assessed a fine by the licensing authority of $500 for a first offense and a fine of not more than $1,000 for a second or subsequent offense.

SECTION 5. Said chapter 140 is hereby further amended by striking out section 137C, as so appearing, and inserting in place thereof the following section:-

Section 137C. (a) The mayor of a city, the select board of a town, the town manager of a town, the police commissioner of the city of Boston, a chief of police or an animal control officer shall inspect or cause the inspection of every kennel licensed within the city or town at least once per year. If a licensee or a person applying for a license to maintain a kennel refuses to allow an inspector to enter and inspect a kennel, the refusal shall be grounds for denial, suspension or revocation of the license.

Twenty-five citizens of a city or town may file a petition with the mayor of a city, the select board of a town or the police commissioner of the city of Boston, as the case may be, stating that they are aggrieved or annoyed to an extent that constitutes a nuisance by a dog maintained in the city or town due to excessive barking or other conditions connected with a kennel. The mayor, select board, town manager or police commissioner of the city of Boston, as the case may be, shall, not more than 7 days after the filing of such petition, give notice to all interested parties of a public hearing. The hearing shall be held not more than 14 days after the date of the notice. The mayor, select board, town manager or police commissioner of the city of Boston shall, not more than 7 days after the public hearing, investigate or cause to be investigated the subject matter of the petition and shall, by order: (i) suspend the license; (ii) revoke the license; (iii) further regulate the kennel; or (iv) dismiss the petition.

(b) A written notice under subsection (a) of an order revoking or suspending the license, further regulating the kennel or dismissing the petition shall be mailed immediately to the licensee and to the officer that issued the license. Not more than 10 days after the written notice of the order, the licensee may file a petition in the district court in the judicial district in which the kennel is maintained seeking review of the order. After notice to all parties as the court may consider necessary, the court shall review the action, hear the witnesses and affirm the order unless the court determines that it was made without proper cause or in bad faith, in which case the order shall be reversed. The decision of the court shall be final and conclusive upon the parties. A person maintaining a kennel after the license to maintain a kennel has been revoked or suspended shall be assessed a fine by the licensing authority of not more than $250 for a first offense, by a fine of not less than $500 for a second offense and by a fine of not more than $1,500 for a third or subsequent offense.

SECTION 6. Said chapter 140 is hereby further amended by inserting after section 174F the following section:-

Section 174G. (a) The department shall promulgate rules and regulations for commercial boarding or training kennels, including those located at a private residence, which may include, but not be limited to, licensing, inspection, compliance and enforcement, use of best practices and operation, provider and staff to animal ratios, fire and emergency planning, injury reporting, group sizes and supervision, minimum housing and care requirements, indoor and outdoor physical facility requirements, utilities, body language interpretation, breed familiarity, dog handling, insurance, proper education and training of commercial boarding or training kennel staff, including, but not limited to, dog daycare staff, operational safety standards, risk management and consumer education and protection.

(b)(1) Commercial boarding or training kennels shall report to the licensing authority injuries to animals or people that occur on their premises and the department or licensing authority shall investigate all reports. The department shall develop a form for such reporting and a time frame for submitting a report after an injury. The form shall be available on the department’s website for the public to report such injuries.

(2) The department shall make investigative reports of injuries publicly available on its website if the investigation results in the department bringing enforcement action against the kennel.

(c)(1) An inspection of a commercial boarding or training kennel to enforce the rules and regulations promulgated pursuant to subsection (a) may be done by the commissioner or an authorized inspector and shall take place between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. unless an alternate time is mutually agreed upon by the inspector and the licensee. An authorized inspector may include, but shall not be limited to, an animal control officer, the mayor of a city, the select board of a town, the town manager of a town, the chief of police, the police commissioner of the city of Boston or another designated official. The licensee or an authorized agent of the licensee shall be present during the inspection. If a kennel regulated under this section is located at a private residence, only the areas of the residence that are used for kennel purposes or for the maintenance of kennel records shall be required to be available for inspection.

(2) If, in the judgment of the commissioner or an authorized inspector, a kennel is not being maintained in a sanitary and humane manner or if records have not been properly kept as required by law and in compliance with this section, the commissioner or authorized inspector shall, by order, depending on the severity of the offense, suspend the license for the kennel or issue to the licensee a written citation or notice which explains the noncompliant issue and requires the licensee to come into compliance within a reasonable, specified timeframe. If the licensee fails to come into compliance within the time period specified by the commissioner or authorized inspector, the commissioner or authorized inspector shall, by order, revoke the license for the kennel.

(3) Enforcement under paragraph (2) by an animal control officer or authorized inspector may be appealed within 21 days to the district court in the judicial district in which the kennel is maintained. Enforcement under said paragraph (2) by the commissioner may be appealed within 21 days to the division of administrative law appeals pursuant to chapter 30A.

SECTION 7. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law or rule or regulation to the contrary, there shall be a committee to advise the commissioner of agricultural resources on the promulgation of regulations as required by section 174G of chapter 140 of the General Laws.

(b)(1) The committee shall be appointed by the commissioner and shall consist of: 1 representative from the department of agricultural resources; 1 owner of a licensed commercial boarding or training kennel licensed under section 137C with a capacity of not more than 50 dogs; 1 owner of a licensed commercial boarding or training kennel licensed under section 137C with a  capacity of not less than 51 dogs in a kennel not located in a home; 2 animal control officers, 1 of whom shall represent a municipality having not less than 5 animal daycare facilities and 1 of whom shall represent a municipality having not more than 4 animal daycare facilities; 1 licensing authority representative; 1 representative of a kennel association or an organization representing kennels; 1 veterinarian or member of a veterinary medical association organized in the commonwealth; 1 member of the general public with an interest in the well-being of dogs; 1 dog owner who uses the services of a licensed commercial boarding or training kennel; 1 animal behaviorist certified by International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants, Inc. or by a comparable certifying entity approved by the department; 1 person with not less than 5 years of experience training people on dog behavior; and 1 representative from a shelter or rescue organization licensed by the department.

(2) The commissioner shall consider diversity, equity and inclusion when appointing the committee. Members of the committee shall be residents of the commonwealth or do business in the commonwealth and shall reflect the geographic diversity of the commonwealth, representing municipalities with different forms of government. The committee shall elect a chair at the initial meeting.

(c) The commissioner of agricultural resources shall appoint the members of the committee to advise the commissioner on the promulgation of regulations, as required by section 174G of chapter 140 of the General Laws, not more than 90 days of the effective date of this act.

SECTION 8. The department of agricultural resources shall promulgate regulations pursuant to section 174G of chapter 140 of the General Laws not more than 18 months after the effective date of this act. The department shall provide an updated list of the regulations under said section 174G of said chapter 140 and any relevant education or training programs to local licensing authorities, animal control officers and any other applicable local officials for the enforcement of the regulations.

SECTION 9. Not later than July 1, 2025, the department shall file a report with the joint committee on municipalities and regional government on the number of kennel licenses issued, the type of kennel licenses issued, municipalities not in compliance with the license requirements and any related legislative recommendations.

SECTION 10. Section 7 is hereby repealed.

SECTION 11. Section 10 shall be effective on December 31, 2026.