Cal. FAC § 30503.5
This is the official text of Cal. FAC § 30503.5, part of California’s Food and Agricultural Code — regulates farming, food safety, and agricultural commerce.
Not legal advice. This page reproduces the official text of a government statute for reference only. Laws change, and how a statute applies depends on your specific facts. For advice about your situation, consult a licensed attorney in your state.
Official statutory text
(a) For purposes of this section:
(1) “Animal shelter” means a public animal control agency or shelter, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals shelter, humane society shelter, or rescue group.
(2) “Rescue group” means a for-profit or not-for-profit entity or a collaboration of individuals that removes dogs from a public animal control agency or shelter, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals shelter, or humane shelter, or rehomes a dog that has been previously owned by any person other than the original breeder of that dog.
(b) If an animal shelter or rescue group knows, to the best of the knowledge of the shelter or rescue group, that a dog, at the age of four months or older, bit a person and broke that person’s skin, thus requiring a state-mandated bite quarantine, the animal shelter or rescue group shall, before selling, giving away, or otherwise releasing the dog, do both of the following:
(1) Disclose in writing to the person to whom the dog is sold, given away, or transferred, the dog’s known bite history and the circumstances related to the bite.
(2) Obtain a signed acknowledgment from the person to whom the dog is sold, given away, or transferred that the person has been provided information about the dog as required by this section. The animal shelter or rescue group shall provide the person with a copy of the signed acknowledgment and retain the original copy in its files.
(c) These documentation and disclosure requirements are for the purpose of public safety and the appropriate placement of dogs. A documented bite history does not necessarily preclude a dog from being available for adoption, release, or transfer, notwithstanding any other law or local ordinance related to biting dogs.
(d) Notwithstanding Sections 31401 and 31402, any violation of this section shall be punished by a civil fine not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500), imposed by the city or county in which the animal shelter or rescue group is located. If the person who violates this section is a society for the prevention of cruelty to animals shelter, humane society shelter, or rescue group, the proceeds of the civil fine shall be paid to the local public animal control agency or shelter. If a public animal control agency or shelter violates this section, the proceeds of the civil fine shall be deposited into the treasury of the city or county in which the public animal control agency or shelter is located.
(1) “Animal shelter” means a public animal control agency or shelter, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals shelter, humane society shelter, or rescue group.
(2) “Rescue group” means a for-profit or not-for-profit entity or a collaboration of individuals that removes dogs from a public animal control agency or shelter, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals shelter, or humane shelter, or rehomes a dog that has been previously owned by any person other than the original breeder of that dog.
(b) If an animal shelter or rescue group knows, to the best of the knowledge of the shelter or rescue group, that a dog, at the age of four months or older, bit a person and broke that person’s skin, thus requiring a state-mandated bite quarantine, the animal shelter or rescue group shall, before selling, giving away, or otherwise releasing the dog, do both of the following:
(1) Disclose in writing to the person to whom the dog is sold, given away, or transferred, the dog’s known bite history and the circumstances related to the bite.
(2) Obtain a signed acknowledgment from the person to whom the dog is sold, given away, or transferred that the person has been provided information about the dog as required by this section. The animal shelter or rescue group shall provide the person with a copy of the signed acknowledgment and retain the original copy in its files.
(c) These documentation and disclosure requirements are for the purpose of public safety and the appropriate placement of dogs. A documented bite history does not necessarily preclude a dog from being available for adoption, release, or transfer, notwithstanding any other law or local ordinance related to biting dogs.
(d) Notwithstanding Sections 31401 and 31402, any violation of this section shall be punished by a civil fine not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500), imposed by the city or county in which the animal shelter or rescue group is located. If the person who violates this section is a society for the prevention of cruelty to animals shelter, humane society shelter, or rescue group, the proceeds of the civil fine shall be paid to the local public animal control agency or shelter. If a public animal control agency or shelter violates this section, the proceeds of the civil fine shall be deposited into the treasury of the city or county in which the public animal control agency or shelter is located.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in California?
Find a California lawyer
About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the
Open US Law dataset
(Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine
(Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.