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D.C. Municipal Regulations (Last Updated: September 13, 2017) |
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Title 25. FOOD OPERATIONS AND COMMUNITY HYGIENE FACILITIES |
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SubTilte 25-J. ANIMAL WELFARE AND FACILITY REGULATIONS |
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Chapter 25-J3. ANIMALS, PET SHOPS, AND ANIMAL HOSPITALS |
Section 25-J300. PET SHOPS: GENERAL PROVISIONS
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300.1The provisions of §§ 300 through 304 of this chapter provide minimum health standards for the establishment and maintenance of commercial pet shops.
300.2The provisions of §§ 300 through 304 of this chapter shall apply to the establishment, maintenance, and operation of commercial pet shops, and shall be supplemental to existing laws and regulations pertaining to the establishment, maintenance, and operation of pet shops and every operating unit of a pet shop, and to any laws and regulations regulating the design, construction, quality of materials, maintenance, and operation of all buildings and structures and the activities carried on in them.
300.3In the absence of requirements in these or other laws and regulations, the management and operation of any pet shop shall be in accordance with good public health practices.
300.4The provisions of §§ 300 through 304 of this chapter shall not be applicable to the following:
(a)Any aquarium, circus, common carrier, or exhibition;
(b)Any animal hospital licensed pursuant to this title;
(c)The keeping of animals for the purposes for which the Animal Allocation Board allots animals to those holding permits issued under authority of this title.
300.5Each section and every part of each section of this chapter shall be independent of every other section or part, and the finding or holding of any section or part to be void or ineffective for any cause shall not be deemed to affect any other section or part.
300.6Words used in this chapter shall have their usual meaning unless the context or a definition clearly indicates a different meaning.
300.7Words used in the present tense include the future, words in the singular number include the plural number, and words in the plural number include the singular number.
300.8Whenever any officer or department of the District government, other than the Mayor, is referred to in this chapter, the term shall include the authorized agent of the officer or department.
300.9No pet shop operator shall move his or her pet shop or any part of the pet shop from the premises for which a license has been issued to any other premises without first having obtained the approval of the Director and the Director of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs.
300.10The Director and the Director of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs shall be authorized and empowered to enter and inspect any pet shop at any reasonable hour.
300.11Any refusal to permit the Director or the Director of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs to enter a pet shop for an inspection shall be deemed to be just cause for the suspension, revocation, or denial of a license.
300.12Any operator of a pet shop who fails to comply with any provision of this chapter, or who refuses, interferes with, or prevents any inspection authorized by this chapter, shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine not to exceed three hundred dollars ($300) or by imprisonment not to exceed ninety (90) days.
300.13In the event of any violation of, or failure to comply with, the provisions of this chapter, each and every day of the violation or
failure shall constitute a separate offense, and the penalties prescribed in §700.12 shall be applicable to each separate offense.300.14The operator of a pet shop shall comply with the provisions of §710 of this chapter regarding the sale and distribution of turtles in the District.
300.15Civil fines, penalties, and fees may be imposed as alternative sanctions of this part pursuant to titles I - III of the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs Civil Infraction Act of 1985. Adjudication of any infraction of this part shall be pursuant to titles I - III of the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs Civil Infractions Act of 1985.