Sec. 22-12b. (Formerly Sec. 26-41). Licensing of fur breeders. Disease control.
Sec. 22-12b. (Formerly Sec. 26-41). Licensing of fur breeders. Disease control.
The breeding and raising in captivity of foxes, mink, chinchilla, marten, fisher, nutria
and muskrat, and the marketing of such animals, shall be classified as farming and as
an agricultural pursuit and all such animals so raised in captivity, or lawfully acquired,
shall be classified as domestic animals. No person shall possess two or more such animals
of opposite sex without first obtaining a fur breeder's license from the Department of
Agriculture. The fee for such license shall be eight dollars. Such license shall be annual
and nontransferable and shall expire on the thirty-first day of December after its issuance.
All applications for such licenses shall be upon blanks prepared and furnished by the
Commissioner of Agriculture. All license fees received by the commissioner under the
provisions of this section shall be transmitted to the State Treasurer and by him be applied
to the General Fund. All licensees shall keep a record of all such animals exchanged or
transported by such licensees, whether the same are alive or dead, and shall report to
the commissioner at the expiration of the license period, on forms furnished by the
commissioner, the number of animals possessed at the beginning of the license period,
those disposed of during such period and the number of animals on hand at the close of
the period. For purposes of disease control, the commissioner at his discretion may
require special import or export permits for any specified period. Said commissioner,
in the interest of protecting game or domestic animals from disease, may confiscate
animals possessed by licensees referred to herein, and may quarantine the same, and
may destroy such animals when, in his opinion, such action is advisable. Any license
granted under the provisions of this section may be revoked by the commissioner for a
violation of any regulation made by him or a violation of any provision of this section.
Any person who violates any provision of this section shall be fined not more than one
hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than thirty days or both.
(1949, S. 2468d; 1957, P.A. 289, S. 1; 1959, P.A. 398, S. 6; 1961, P.A. 59; 67; 1971, P.A. 872, S. 446, 448; P.A. 77-614, S. 315, 610; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-6, S. 43, 117; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, S. 146(e), (f); P.A. 04-189, S. 1.)
History: 1961 acts replaced reference to board of agriculture and its director with references to livestock division of
department of agriculture and natural resources and to commissioner of agriculture and natural resources, made import or
export permits optional rather than mandatory, stated that breeding and raising fur animals is considered farming and that
such animals are to be considered as domestic animals without exception rather than "for the purposes of this section";
Sec. 26-41 transferred to Sec. 22-12b in 1969; 1971 act replaced commissioner and department of agriculture and natural
resources with commissioner and department of agriculture; P.A. 77-614 deleted reference to livestock division, effective
January 1, 1979; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-6 increased license fee from $4 to $8; June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6 replaced
Commissioner and Department of Agriculture with Commissioner and Department of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-189 repealed Sec. 146 of June 30 Sp. Sess. P.A. 03-6, thereby reversing the merger
of the Departments of Agriculture and Consumer Protection, effective June 1, 2004.
See Sec. 26-72 re regulation of trapping of fur-bearing animals.