(A)

(1) No person shall operate a high volume breeder in this state without a high volume breeder license issued by the director of agriculture in accordance with this section and rules adopted under section 956.03 of the Revised Code.

(2) The director shall not issue a license under this section unless the director determines that the applicant will operate or will continue to operate the high volume breeder in accordance with this chapter and rules adopted under it.

(B) In determining whether an establishment is a high volume breeder requiring a license under this chapter, the director shall determine if, in any given year, the establishment is a high volume breeder as defined in section 956.01 of the Revised Code. All facilities that are located at an individual postal address shall be licensed as one high volume breeder. Not more than one license shall be issued under this section for any given postal address.

(C) A person who is proposing to operate a new high volume breeder shall submit an application for a license to the director at least ninety days before commencing operation of the high volume breeder. The application shall be submitted in the form and with the information required by rules adopted under section 956.03 of the Revised Code and shall include with it at least all of the following:

(1) An affidavit signed under oath or solemn affirmation of the number of adult dogs that are kept, housed, and maintained by the applicant at the location that is the subject of the application;

(2) An estimate of the number of puppies to be kept, housed, and maintained and of the number of litters of puppies or total number of puppies to be produced during the term of the license;

(3) Photographic evidence documenting the facilities where dogs will be kept, housed, and maintained by the applicant. The director may conduct an inspection of the facilities that are the subject of an application in addition to reviewing photographic evidence submitted by an applicant for a license.

(4) A signed release permitting the performance of a background investigation regarding the applicant in accordance with rules adopted under section 956.03 of the Revised Code;

(5) Proof that the applicant has established a veterinary-client-patient relationship as described in section 4741.04 of the Revised Code.

(D) During the month of December, but before the first day of January of the next year, a person who is proposing to continue the operation of a high volume breeder shall obtain a license for the high volume breeder from the director for the following year. The person shall apply for the license in the same manner as for an initial license, except that the person does not need to include with the application the photographic evidence required under division (C)(3) of this section.

(E)

A person who has received a license under this section, upon sale or other disposition of the high volume breeder, may have the license transferred to another person with the consent of the director, provided that the transferee otherwise qualifies to be licensed as a high volume breeder under this chapter and rules adopted under it and does not have a certified unpaid debt to the state.

(F) An applicant for a license issued under this section shall demonstrate that the high volume breeder that is the subject of the application complies with standards established in rules adopted under section 956.03 of the Revised Code.

Amended by 132nd General Assembly File No. TBD, HB 506, §1, eff. 9/28/2018.

Amended by 131st General Assembly File No. TBD, SB 331, §1, eff. 3/21/2017.

Added by 129th General AssemblyFile No.150, SB 130, §1, eff. 3/13/2013.