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Anne Arundel County Overview
Anne Arundel County Code, 2005
ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY CODE, 2005
COUNTY OFFICIALS 2024
CHARTER
ARTICLE 1. GENERAL PROVISIONS
ARTICLE 2. BRANCHES OF COUNTY GOVERNMENT
ARTICLE 3. BOARDS, COMMISSIONS, AND SIMILAR BODIES
ARTICLE 4. FINANCE, TAXATION, AND BUDGET
ARTICLE 5. PENSIONS
ARTICLE 6. PERSONNEL
ARTICLE 7. PUBLIC ETHICS
ARTICLE 8. PURCHASING
ARTICLE 9. CRIMES, CIVIL OFFENSES, AND FINES
ARTICLE 10. CABLE FRANCHISE ACT OF 2006
ARTICLE 11. LICENSES AND REGISTRATIONS
ARTICLE 12. PUBLIC SAFETY
ARTICLE 13. PUBLIC WORKS
ARTICLE 14. RECREATION AND PARKS
ARTICLE 15. CONSTRUCTION AND PROPERTY MAINTENANCE CODES
ARTICLE 16. FLOODPLAIN MANAGEMENT, EROSION AND SEDIMENT CONTROL, AND STORMWATER MANAGEMENT
ARTICLE 17. SUBDIVISION AND DEVELOPMENT
ARTICLE 18. ZONING
APPENDIX A. RULES OF PROCEDURE OF THE COUNTY COUNCIL
APPENDIX B. RULES OF PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE OF THE BOARD OF APPEALS
PARALLEL REFERENCE TABLES
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SUBTITLE 6. RABIES CONTROL
§ 12-4-601. Vaccination of dogs and cats required.
   (a)   Requirement. A person may not own or keep a dog or cat over the age of four months unless the dog or cat has been vaccinated so as to provide the animal with continuous protection against rabies. The effective period of the various vaccines shall be established by the Health Officer or the authorized and trained representative of the Health Officer in accordance with the current "Compendium of Animal Rabies Vaccines" prepared and periodically revised by the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, Inc.
   (b)   Certificate. On request of the Agency, a person owning or keeping a dog or cat in the County shall promptly exhibit a currently valid rabies vaccination certificate indicating that the dog or cat has been vaccinated by a licensed veterinarian or approved governmental agency.
   (c)   Sanction for violation. A person who fails to provide satisfactory evidence of a current rabies vaccination shall be given a written citation and an order requiring the vaccination within a seven-day period.
   (d)   Waiver. The Agency may waive the requirements for vaccination if the dog or cat will not be exposed to rabies and, in the written opinion of a veterinarian, a vaccination is not advisable due to the physical condition of the animal.
(1985 Code, Art. 12, § 6-101) (Bill No. 41-01)
§ 12-4-602. Required reports – In general.
   If warm-blooded animal bites, scratches, or attacks a human being or exposes a human being to a possible rabies infection, or if the animal is suspected of having rabies, an individual having knowledge of the facts, including a veterinarian, shall immediately report those facts to the County police or, in the City of Annapolis, to the City police. The police officer who receives such a report shall immediately notify the Health Officer, the authorized and trained representative of the Health Officer, or the Agency. The individual or agency notified shall inform the animal owner in writing that it is the responsibility of the animal owner to take the animal to a licensed veterinarian to have the animal examined for rabies within 24 hours of the bite or scratch.
(1985 Code, Art. 12, § 6-102) (Bill No. 41-01)
§ 12-4-603. Required report by veterinarian.
   A veterinarian shall immediately report any animal the veterinarian considers to be rabid or to be a rabies suspect, by telephone or in person, to the County police or, in the City of Annapolis, to the City police.
(1985 Code, Art. 12, § 6-103) (Bill No. 41-01)
§ 12-4-604. Confirmed or highly likely cases of rabies.
   If rabies has been diagnosed in an animal confined for clinical observation or if rabies is suspected by a veterinarian or Agency officer and the animal dies, the Agency officer shall immediately have the head sent to a laboratory recognized by the State Department of Health and Mental Hygiene for rabies examination. Within 24 hours of the laboratory findings indicating a presence of rabies, the laboratory shall notify the State Veterinarian and the Health Officer or the authorized and trained representative of the Health Officer of the finding and report human and animal contacts with the infected animal.
(1985 Code, Art. 12, § 6-104) (Bill No. 41-01; Bill No. 89-20)
§ 12-4-605. Confinement of animals that bite humans.
   (a)   Requirement for confinement. The Health Officer or the authorized representative of the Health Officer assigned to the Agency shall confine an animal that has bitten a human being for clinical observation for a period of 10 consecutive days from the date of the bite.
   (b)   Where confinement occurs. At the discretion of the Health Officer or the authorized representative of the Health Officer, the confinement may occur:
      (1)   at an animal shelter, veterinary hospital, or humane shelter at the animal owner's option and expense; or
      (2)   on the premises of the animal owner if the owner signs an agreement that the animal will be quarantined as specified in the animal bite report, the animal will not leave the structure in which it is confined unless on a leash and under the immediate control of an adult, and the animal will not be in contact with other animals.
   (c)   Fenced yard. The animal may be secured in the owner's fenced yard if the fence has locking gates that are kept locked and the animal is chained inside the fence at least 15 feet from the nearest fence line.
   (d)   Prohibition. A person may not allow an animal confined under this section to escape or be sold or given away and may not euthanize the animal before the expiration of the 10-day confinement and observation period.
(1985 Code, Art. 12, § 6-105) (Bill No. 29-91; Bill No. 41-01)
§ 12-4-606. Destruction or isolation of animals exposed to rabies.
   An animal exposed to rabies shall be destroyed immediately under the supervision of the Health Officer or the authorized and trained representative of the County Health Department or, at the owner's request, shall be placed in strict isolation for six months in a control shelter or a veterinary hospital approved by the State Veterinarian. The cost of isolation shall be borne by the owner.
(1985 Code, Art. 12, § 6-106) (Bill No. 41-01)
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