Md. Code, Health - General § 18-320
This is the official text of Md. Code, Health - General § 18-320, part of Maryland’s Code, Health - General — covers public health regulation.
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.
§18–320.
Official statutory text
(a) Except as provided in subsection (e) of this section, an apparently healthy dog, cat, or ferret that has been adequately vaccinated against rabies in accordance with § 18-318 of this subtitle or any other animal that bites a human or otherwise exposes a human to rabies shall be quarantined as provided in subsection (b) of this section.
(b) An animal under quarantine shall be quarantined in a place, which may include the residence of the owner, in the manner designated by the local health officer or the public health veterinarian for a suitable period as determined by the health officer or the public health veterinarian.
(c) (1) At any time during the quarantine period, the public health veterinarian or local health officer may order the owner of a biting animal to have the animal monitored for rabies by a licensed veterinarian.
(2) The owner of the animal shall pay for the cost of any examination or other associated cost.
(d) An animal under quarantine may not be moved from the place of quarantine without the written permission of the local health officer or public health veterinarian.
(e) The public health veterinarian or local health officer or the designee of the public health veterinarian or local health officer may order the immediate and humane destruction of a biting animal for rabies testing if:
(1) It is necessary to preserve human health;
(2) A licensed veterinarian determines that a quarantined animal is inhumanely suffering; or
(3) The animal is considered wild and is not claimed by an owner within 24 hours.
(b) An animal under quarantine shall be quarantined in a place, which may include the residence of the owner, in the manner designated by the local health officer or the public health veterinarian for a suitable period as determined by the health officer or the public health veterinarian.
(c) (1) At any time during the quarantine period, the public health veterinarian or local health officer may order the owner of a biting animal to have the animal monitored for rabies by a licensed veterinarian.
(2) The owner of the animal shall pay for the cost of any examination or other associated cost.
(d) An animal under quarantine may not be moved from the place of quarantine without the written permission of the local health officer or public health veterinarian.
(e) The public health veterinarian or local health officer or the designee of the public health veterinarian or local health officer may order the immediate and humane destruction of a biting animal for rabies testing if:
(1) It is necessary to preserve human health;
(2) A licensed veterinarian determines that a quarantined animal is inhumanely suffering; or
(3) The animal is considered wild and is not claimed by an owner within 24 hours.
Status: in_force · Read it on the official government site
Need a lawyer in Maryland?
Find a Maryland 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.