510 ILCS 70/ Humane Care for Animals Act.
(510 ILCS 70/1) (from Ch. 8, par. 701) Sec. 1. This Act shall be known and may be cited as the "Humane Care for Animals Act". (Source: P. A. 78‑905.) |
(510 ILCS 70/2) (from Ch. 8, par. 702) Sec. 2. As used in this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, the terms specified in Sections 2.01 through 2.07 have the meanings ascribed to them in those Sections. (Source: P. A. 78‑905.) |
(510 ILCS 70/2.01) (from Ch. 8, par. 702.01) Sec. 2.01. "Animal" means every living creature, domestic or wild, but does not include man. (Source: P.A. 78‑905.) |
(510 ILCS 70/2.01a) Sec. 2.01a. Companion animal. "Companion animal" means an animal that is commonly considered to be, or is considered by the owner to be, a pet. "Companion animal" includes, but is not limited to, canines, felines, and equines. (Source: P.A. 92‑454, eff. 1‑1‑02.) |
(510 ILCS 70/2.01b) Sec. 2.01b. Exigent circumstances. "Exigent circumstances" means a licensed veterinarian cannot be secured without undue delay and, in the opinion of the animal control warden, animal control administrator, Department of Agriculture investigator, approved humane investigator, or animal shelter employee, the animal is so severely injured, diseased, or suffering that it is unfit for any useful purpose and to delay humane euthanasia would continue to cause the animal extreme suffering. (Source: P.A. 92‑454, eff. 1‑1‑02.) |
(510 ILCS 70/2.01c) Sec. 2.01c. Service animal. "Service animal" means an animal trained in obedience and task skills to meet the needs of a disabled person. (Source: P.A. 92‑454, eff. 1‑1‑02.) |
(510 ILCS 70/2.01d) Sec. 2.01d. Search and rescue dog. "Search and rescue dog" means any dog that is trained or is certified to locate persons lost on land or in water. (Source: P.A. 92‑454, eff. 1‑1‑02.) |
(510 ILCS 70/2.01e) Sec. 2.01e. Animal Control Administrator. "Animal Control Administrator" means a veterinarian licensed by the State of Illinois and appointed pursuant to the Animal Control Act, or his duly authorized representative. (Source: P.A. 92‑454, eff. 1‑1‑02.) |
(510 ILCS 70/2.01f) Sec. 2.01f. Animal control facility. "Animal control facility" means any facility operated by or under contract for the State, county, or any municipal corporation or political subdivision of the State for the purpose of impounding or harboring seized, stray, homeless, abandoned or unwanted dogs, cats, and other animals. (Source: P.A. 92‑454, eff. 1‑1‑02.) |
(510 ILCS 70/2.01g) Sec. 2.01g. Animal Control Warden. "Animal Control Warden" means any person appointed by the Administrator and approved by the Board to perform duties as assigned by the Administrator to effectuate the Animal Control Act. (Source: P.A. 92‑454, eff. 1‑1‑02.) |
(510 ILCS 70/2.01h) Sec. 2.01h. Animal shelter. "Animal shelter" means a facility operated, owned, or maintained by a duly incorporated humane society, animal welfare society, or other non‑profit organization for the purpose of providing for and promoting the welfare, protection, and humane treatment of animals. "Animal shelter" also means any veterinary hospital or clinic operated by a veterinarian or veterinarians licensed under the Veterinary Medicine and Surgery Practice Act of 2004 which operates for the above mentioned purpose in addition to its customary purposes. (Source: P.A. 92‑454, eff. 1‑1‑02; 93‑281, eff. 12‑31‑03.) |
(510 ILCS 70/2.02) (from Ch. 8, par. 702.02) Sec. 2.02. "Department" means the Department of Agriculture. (Source: P. A. 78‑905.) |
(510 ILCS 70/2.03) (from Ch. 8, par. 702.03) Sec. 2.03. "Department investigator" or "approved humane investigator" means a person employed by or approved by the Department to determine whether there has been a violation of this Act or an animal control warden or animal control administrator appointed under the Animal Control Act. (Source: P. A. 87‑157.) |
(510 ILCS 70/2.04) (from Ch. 8, par. 702.04) Sec. 2.04. "Director" means the Director of Agriculture, or his duly appointed representative. (Source: P. A. 78‑905.) |
(510 ILCS 70/2.05) (from Ch. 8, par. 702.05) Sec. 2.05. "Humane society" means any chartered, not for profit organization authorized to do business in this State and organized for the purpose of preventing cruelty to animals and promoting humane care and treatment of animals. (Source: P. A. 78‑905.) |
(510 ILCS 70/2.05a) (from Ch. 8, par. 702.05a) Sec. 2.05a. "Livestock management facility" means any on‑farm animal feeding operation, on‑farm livestock shelter, or on‑farm milking and accompanying milk handling area. (Source: P.A. 83‑140.) |
(510 ILCS 70/2.06) (from Ch. 8, par. 702.06) Sec. 2.06. "Owner" means any person who (a) has a right of property in an animal, (b) keeps or harbors an animal, (c) has an animal in his care, or (d) acts as custodian of an animal. (Source: P. A. 78‑905.) |
(510 ILCS 70/2.07) (from Ch. 8, par. 702.07) Sec. 2.07. Person. "Person" means any individual, minor, firm, corporation, partnership, other business unit, society, association, or other legal entity, any public or private institution, the State of Illinois, or any municipal corporation or political subdivision of the State. (Source: P.A. 92‑454, eff. 1‑1‑02.) |
(510 ILCS 70/2.08) Sec. 2.08. Police animal. "Police animal" means any animal owned or used by a law enforcement department or agency in the course of the department or agency's work. (Source: P.A. 90‑80, eff. 7‑10‑97.) |
(510 ILCS 70/2.09) Sec. 2.09. Humanely euthanized. "Humanely euthanized" means the painless administration of a lethal dose of an agent or method of euthanasia as prescribed in the Report of the American Veterinary Medical Association Panel on Euthanasia published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, March 1, 2001 (or any successor version of that Report), that causes the painless death of an animal. Animals must be handled prior to administration of the agent or method of euthanasia in a manner to avoid undue apprehension by the animal. (Source: P.A. 92‑454, eff. 1‑1‑02.) |
(510 ILCS 70/2.10) Sec. 2.10. Companion animal hoarder. "Companion animal hoarder" means a person who (i) possesses a large number of companion animals; (ii) fails to or is unable to provide what he or she is required to provide under Section 3 of this Act; (iii) keeps the companion animals in a severely overcrowded environment; and (iv) displays an inability to recognize or understand the nature of or has a reckless disregard for the conditions under which the companion animals are living and the deleterious impact they have on the companion animals' and owner's health and well‑being. (Source: P.A. 92‑454, eff. 1‑1‑02.) |
(510 ILCS 70/3) (from Ch. 8, par. 703) Sec. 3. Owner's duties. Each owner shall provide for each of his animals: (a) sufficient quantity of good quality, wholesome | ||
| ||
(b) adequate shelter and protection from the weather; (c) veterinary care when needed to prevent | ||
| ||
(d) humane care and treatment. A person convicted of violating this Section is guilty of a Class B misdemeanor. A second or subsequent violation is a Class 4 felony with every day that a violation continues constituting a separate offense. In addition to any other penalty provided by law, upon conviction for violating this Section, the court may order the convicted person to undergo a psychological or psychiatric evaluation and to undergo any treatment at the convicted person's expense that the court determines to be appropriate after due consideration of the evaluation. If the convicted person is a juvenile or a companion animal hoarder, the court must order the convicted person to undergo a psychological or psychiatric evaluation and to undergo treatment that the court determines to be appropriate after due consideration of the evaluation. (Source: P.A. 92‑650, eff. 7‑11‑02.) |
(510 ILCS 70/3.01) (from Ch. 8, par. 703.01) Sec. 3.01. Cruel treatment. No person or owner may beat, cruelly treat, torment, starve, overwork or otherwise abuse any animal. No owner may abandon any animal where it may become a public charge or may suffer injury, hunger or exposure. A person convicted of violating this Section is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. A second or subsequent conviction for a violation of this Section is a Class 4 felony. In addition to any other penalty provided by law, upon conviction for violating this Section, the court may order the convicted person to undergo a psychological or psychiatric evaluation and to undergo any treatment at the convicted person's expense that the court determines to be appropriate after due consideration of the evidence. If the convicted person is a juvenile or a companion animal hoarder, the court must order the convicted person to undergo a psychological or psychiatric evaluation and to undergo treatment that the court determines to be appropriate after due consideration of the evaluation. (Source: P.A. 92‑650, eff. 7‑11‑02.) |
(510 ILCS 70/3.03) Sec. 3.03. Animal torture. (a) A person commits animal torture when that person without legal justification knowingly or intentionally tortures an animal. For purposes of this Section, and subject to subsection (b), "torture" means infliction of or subjection to extreme physical pain, motivated by an intent to increase or prolong the pain, suffering, or agony of the animal. (b) For the purposes of this Section, "animal torture" does not include any death, harm, or injury caused to any animal by any of the following activities: (1) any hunting, fishing, trapping, or other | ||
| ||
(2) any alteration or destruction of any animal done | ||
| ||
(3) any alteration or destruction of any animal by | ||
| ||
(4) any other activity that may be lawfully done to | ||
| ||
(c) A person convicted of violating this Section is guilty of a Class 3 felony. As a condition of the sentence imposed under this Section, the court shall order the offender to undergo a psychological or psychiatric evaluation and to undergo treatment that the court determines to be appropriate after due consideration of the evaluation. (Source: P.A. 91‑351, eff. 7‑29‑99; 92‑650, eff. 7‑11‑02.) |
(510 ILCS 70/3.03‑1) Sec. 3.03‑1. Depiction of animal cruelty. (a) "Depiction of animal cruelty" means any visual or auditory depiction, including any photograph, motion‑picture film, video recording, electronic image, or sound recording, that would constitute a violation of Section 3.01, 3.02, 3.03, or 4.01 of the Humane Care for Animals Act or Section 26‑5 of the Criminal Code of 1961. (b) No person may knowingly create, sell, market, offer to market or sell, or possess a depiction of animal cruelty. No person may place that depiction in commerce for commercial gain or entertainment. This Section does not apply when the depiction has religious, political, scientific, educational, law enforcement or humane investigator training, journalistic, artistic, or historical value; or involves rodeos, sanctioned livestock events, or normal husbandry practices. The creation, sale, marketing, offering to sell or market, or possession of the depiction of animal cruelty is illegal regardless of whether the maiming, mutilation, torture, wounding, abuse, killing, or any other conduct took place in this State. (c) Any person convicted of violating this Section is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. A second or subsequent violation is a Class 4 felony. In addition to any other penalty provided by law, upon conviction for violating this Section, the court may order the convicted person to undergo a psychological or psychiatric evaluation and to undergo any treatment at the convicted person's expense that the court determines to be appropriate after due consideration of the evaluation. If the convicted person is a juvenile, the court shall order the convicted person to undergo a psychological or psychiatric evaluation and to undergo treatment that the court determines to be appropriate after due consideration of the evaluation. (Source: P.A. 92‑776, eff. 1‑1‑03.) |
(510 ILCS 70/3.05) Sec. 3.05. Security for companion animals and animals used for fighting purposes. (a) In the case of companion animals as defined in Section 2.01a or animals used for fighting purposes in violation of Section 4.01 of this Act or Section 26‑5 of the Criminal Code of 1961, the animal control or animal shelter having custody of the animal or animals may file a petition with the court requesting that the person from whom the animal or animals are seized, or the owner of the animal or animals, be ordered to post security. The security must be in an amount sufficient to secure payment of all reasonable expenses expected to be incurred by the animal control or animal shelter in caring for and providing for the animal or animals pending the disposition of the charges. Reasonable expenses include, but are not limited to, estimated medical care and boarding of the animal or animals for 30 days. The amount of the security shall be determined by the court after taking into consideration all of the facts and circumstances of the case, including, but not limited to, the recommendation of the impounding organization having custody and care of the seized animal or animals and the cost of caring for the animal or animals. If security has been posted in accordance with this Section, the animal control or animal shelter may draw from the security the actual costs incurred by the agency in caring for the seized animal or animals. (b) Upon receipt of a petition, the court must set a hearing on the petition, to be conducted within 5 business days after the petition is filed. The petitioner must serve a true copy of the petition upon the defendant and the State's Attorney for the county in which the animal or animals were seized. The petitioner must also serve a true copy of the petition on any interested person. For the purposes of this subsection, "interested person" means an individual, partnership, firm, joint stock company, corporation, association, trust, estate, or other legal entity that the court determines may have a pecuniary interest in the animal or animals that are the subject of the petition. The court must set a hearing date to determine any interested parties. The court may waive for good cause shown the posting of security. (c) If the court orders the posting of security, the security must be posted with the clerk of the court within 5 business days after the hearing. If the person ordered to post security does not do so, the animal or animals are forfeited by operation of law and the animal control or animal shelter having control of the animal or animals must dispose of the animal or animals through adoption or must humanely euthanize the animal. In no event may the defendant or any person residing in the defendant's household adopt the animal or animals. (d) The impounding organization may file a petition with the court upon the expiration of the 30‑day period requesting the posting of additional security. The court may order the person from whom the animal or animals were seized, or the owner of the animal or animals, to post additional security with the clerk of the court to secure payment of reasonable expenses for an additional period of time pending a determination by the court of the charges against the person from whom the animal or animals were seized. (e) In no event may the security prevent the impounding organization having custody and care of the animal or animals from disposing of the animal or animals before the expiration of the 30‑day period covered by the security if the court makes a final determination of the charges against the person from whom the animal or animals were seized. Upon the adjudication of the charges, the person who posted the security is entitled to a refund of the security, in whole or in part, for any expenses not incurred by the impounding organization. (f) Notwithstanding any other provision of this Section to the contrary, the court may order a person charged with any violation of this Act to provide necessary food, water, shelter, and care for any animal or animals that are the basis of the charge without the removal of the animal or animals from their existing location and until the charges against the person are adjudicated. Until a final determination of the charges is made, any law enforcement officer, animal control officer, Department investigator, or an approved humane investigator may be authorized by an order of the court to make regular visits to the place where the animal or animals are being kept to ascertain if the animal or animals are receiving necessary food, water, shelter, and care. Nothing in this Section prevents any law enforcement officer, Department investigator, or approved humane investigator from applying for a warrant under this Section to seize any animal or animals being held by the person charged pending the adjudication of the charges if it is determined that the animal or animals are not receiving the necessary food, water, shelter, or care. (g) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prevent the voluntary, permanent relinquishment of any animal by its owner to an animal control or animal shelter in lieu of posting security or proceeding to a forfeiture hearing. Voluntary relinquishment shall have no effect on the criminal charges that may be pursued by the appropriate authorities. (h) If an owner of a companion animal is acquitted by the court of charges made pursuant to this Act, the court shall further order that any security that has been posted for the animal shall be returned to the owner by the impounding organization. (i) The provisions of this Section only pertain to companion animals and animals used for fighting purposes. (Source: P.A. 92‑454, eff. 1‑1‑02; 92‑650, eff. 7‑11‑02.) |
(510 ILCS 70/3.06) Sec. 3.06. Disposition of seized companion animals and animals used for fighting purposes. (a) Upon the conviction of the person charged, all animals seized, if not previously ordered forfeited or previously forfeited by operation of law, are forfeited to the facility impounding the animals and must be humanely euthanized or adopted. Any outstanding costs incurred by the impounding facility for boarding and treating the animals pending the disposition of the case and any costs incurred in disposing of the animals must be borne by the person convicted. (b) Any person authorized by this Section to care for an animal or animals, to treat an animal or animals, or to attempt to restore an animal or animals to good health and who is acting in good faith is immune from any civil or criminal liability that may result from his or her actions. (c) The provisions of this Section only pertain to companion animals and animals used for fighting purposes. (Source: P.A. 92‑454, eff. 1‑1‑02.) |
|