§ 4-10. Rabies vaccination required for dogs, cats, and ferrets.

(a)

Any person who owns a dog, cat, or ferret in Broward County shall have such animal vaccinated against rabies by four (4) months of age with a twelve (12) month vaccine approved by the United States Department of Agriculture and the Compendium of Rabies Control developed by the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, or approved by another organization as authorized pursuant to Florida Statutes.

(b)

The owner of every dog, cat, or ferret shall revaccinate said animal within twelve (12) months after the initial vaccination. Thereafter, revaccination shall occur every twelve (12) months or every three (3) years based on the type of vaccine previously administered. Veterinarians shall recognize vaccinations for their duration of immunity as indicated by the manufacturer's guidelines.

(c)

Evidence of a rabies vaccination shall consist of a fully completed rabies vaccination certificate, in conformance with Florida Statutes, in a format provided by the Division, and signed by the veterinarian administering the vaccine. One (1) copy of the certificate shall be retained by the veterinarian for at least one (1) year after the vaccination expires, and the other copies shall be distributed to the owner and to the Division. In the event a rabies registration tag is not provided or a pet owner declines to purchase a rabies registration tag from the veterinarian pursuant to Section 4-11, the veterinarian shall write "NOT APPLICABLE" in the space on the rabies vaccination certificate where the pet license number is normally entered, prior to delivering the certificate to the Division. All veterinarians shall deliver completed rabies vaccination certificates to the Division as follows:

(1)

Electronic submissions. Veterinarians may electronically submit monthly rabies vaccination data to the Division for each dog or cat vaccinated in the previous month, including the veterinarian's actual signature or signature stamp. Electronic rabies certificate data from the previous month shall be sent to the Division no later than the tenth (10 ^th ) day of the month following the date when the vaccination was administered.

(2)

Physical submissions. In lieu of electronically submitting monthly rabies vaccination certificates, veterinarians shall deliver to the Division, on a monthly basis, the completed rabies vaccination certificate for each dog or cat vaccinated the previous month. Said certificates shall be postmarked no later than the tenth (10 ^th ) day of the month following the date when the vaccination was administered.

(3)

Violations. Any Broward County veterinarian who fails to deliver rabies vaccination certificates to the Division as prescribed in the methods above shall be deemed to be in violation of this section and may be issued a citation and subject to a civil penalty in an amount set by resolution of the Commission. Upon written request, the Director or the Director's designee may grant a submission extension not to exceed thirty (30) days from the original due date.

(d)

Vaccination is excused where a licensed veterinarian certifies in writing that a vaccination would be injurious to the animal's health. However, such animal shall be vaccinated against rabies as soon as its health permits, and said dog, cat, or ferret shall wear a registration tag as required by Section 4-11.

(e)

The cost of a rabies vaccination required by this section shall be the responsibility of the person owning the dog, cat, or ferret.

(Ord. No. 87-21, § 1, 5-12-87; Ord. No. 88-76, § 1, 11-8-88; Ord. No. 95-42, § 7, 10-24-95; Ord. No. 2006-04, § 1, 2-28-06; Ord. No. 2013-10, § 1, 2-12-13; Ord. No. 2017-34 , § 1, 12-5-17)