Cost of Care toolkits: State-by-State

As many animal agencies know all too well, when abused and neglected animals are seized by law enforcement in animal cruelty cases, sometimes they are held for months or even years while criminal charges are prosecuted. Of course that can be a significant financial cost to your agency and this page is a resource to help you hopefully use your state’s Cost of Animal Care law.

What are Cost of Animal Care laws?

A majority of states have laws to address the cost of seizing animals in cases of illegal animal cruelty or fighting. Some states have a bonding and forfeiture model – requiring the owner to pay for the care of his of her seized animals while the criminal case is prosecuted. If the owner doesn’t pay, the animals are forfeited and they can find new homes.

Other states have a civil forfeiture model that provides a civil hearing soon after seizure where a judge determines the disposition of the seized animals. And still other states have a mixture of both the two models. Ten states do not have a cost of care law and the others have an ineffective or effective one.

See where your state stands

Why do states need them?

Animal agencies across the country are doing incredible work caring for animals rescued from situations of extreme cruelty. The significant financial cost associated with caring for the animals, however, is unfair to shelters and rescues when it is the owner who is legally responsible. Also, even in the best facilities, holding dogs and cats for long periods in a shelter environment can be detrimental to the very animals the cruelty laws were meant to protect.

Learn more about why states need Cost of Care laws

Cost of Animal Care Resources

State laws

• Alabama Ala. Code § 3-1-29 (only applies to dogfighting)
• Alaska AS Stat. Ann. § 03.55.130
• Arizona Ariz. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 13-4281
• Arkansas Ark. Code Ann. § 5-62-106
• California Cal. Penal Code § 597.1
• Colorado Colo. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 18-9-202.5
• Connecticut Conn. Gen. Stat. Ann. § 22-329a
• Delaware DCA 16 § 3035F
• District of Columbia bill enacted in 2022, not codified yet
• Florida FL FSA § 828.073
• Georgia GA OCGA § 4-11-9.8
• Hawaii Haw. Rev. Stat. § 711-1109.2
• Idaho Idaho Code Ann. § 25-3520b
• Illinois IL 510 ILCS 70/3.05
• Indiana Ind. Code Ann. § 35-46-3-6
• Iowa Iowa Code Ann. § 717B.4
• Kansas no cost of care law
• Kentucky no cost of care law
• Louisiana La. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 14:102.2
• Maine Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 17 § 10
• Maryland Md. Code, Crim. Law § 10-615.1
• Massachusetts Mass. Gen. Laws Ann. ch. 272, § 104
• Michigan Mich. Comp. Laws Ann. § 750.50(3)
• Minnesota Minn. Stat. Ann. § 343.235
• Mississippi Miss. Code. Ann. § 97-41-2
• Missouri Mo. Ann. Stat. § 578.018
• Montana MCA § 27-1-434
• Nebraska Neb. Rev. Stat. § 28-1012.01
• Nevada NRS 574.055
• New Hampshire N.H. Rev. Stat. § 644:8(IV)(c) (only applies to appeals)
• New Jersey no cost of care law
• New Mexico N.M. Stat. Ann. § 30-18-1.2
• New York N.Y. Agric. & Mkts. Law § 373 (art. 26)
• North Carolina N.C. Gen. Stat. Ann. § 19A-70
• North Dakota no cost of care law
• Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 959.132; § 959.161
• Oklahoma Okla. Stat. Ann. tit. 21 § 1680.4
• Oregon Or. Rev. Stat. Ann. § 167.347
• Pennsylvania Pa. Stat. Ann. tit. 18, §§ 30.1 – 30.10
• Rhode Island RI § 4-1.2-1 through § 4.1.2-5
• South Carolina SC § 47-1-145
• South Dakota no cost of care law
• Tennessee Tenn. Code Ann. § 39-14-210
• Texas Tex. Health & Safety Code Ann. §§ 821.022; 821.023
• Utah no cost of care law
• Vermont no cost of care law
• Virginia Va. Code Ann. § 3.2-6569
• Washington Wash. Rev. Code Ann. § 16.52.085
• West Virginia W. Va. Code Ann. § 7-10-4
• Wisconsin Wis. Stat. Ann. § 173.23
• Wyoming Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 11-29-114 (only applies to livestock)

Toolkits

• Georgia
• More states coming soon

Contact Ann Chynoweth at achynoweth@humanesociety.org for more information.

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