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State
California
PC Sec 594-625c

PENAL CODE
SECTION 594-625c





594. (a) Every person who maliciously commits any of the following
acts with respect to any real or personal property not his or her
own, in cases other than those specified by state law, is guilty of
vandalism:
(1) Defaces with graffiti or other inscribed material.
(2) Damages.
(3) Destroys.
Whenever a person violates this subdivision with respect to real
property, vehicles, signs, fixtures, furnishings, or property
belonging to any public entity, as defined by Section 811.2 of the
Government Code, or the federal government, it shall be a permissive
inference that the person neither owned the property nor had the
permission of the owner to deface, damage, or destroy the property.
(b) (1) If the amount of defacement, damage, or destruction is
four hundred dollars ($400) or more, vandalism is punishable by
imprisonment in the state prison or in a county jail not exceeding
one year, or by a fine of not more than ten thousand dollars
($10,000), or if the amount of defacement, damage, or destruction is
ten thousand dollars ($10,000) or more, by a fine of not more than
fifty thousand dollars ($50,000), or by both that fine and
imprisonment.
(2) (A) If the amount of defacement, damage, or destruction is
less than four hundred dollars ($400), vandalism is punishable by
imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by a fine of
not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both that fine
and imprisonment.
(B) If the amount of defacement, damage, or destruction is less
than four hundred dollars ($400), and the defendant has been
previously convicted of vandalism or affixing graffiti or other
inscribed material under Section 594, 594.3, 594.4, 640.5, 640.6, or
640.7, vandalism is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for
not more than one year, or by a fine of not more than five thousand
dollars ($5,000), or by both that fine and imprisonment.
(c) Upon conviction of any person under this section for acts of
vandalism consisting of defacing property with graffiti or other
inscribed materials, the court may, in addition to any punishment
imposed under subdivision (b), order the defendant to clean up,
repair, or replace the damaged property himself or herself, or order
the defendant, and his or her parents or guardians if the defendant
is a minor, to keep the damaged property or another specified
property in the community free of graffiti for up to one year.
Participation of a parent or guardian is not required under this
subdivision if the court deems this participation to be detrimental
to the defendant, or if the parent or guardian is a single parent who
must care for young children.
(d) If a minor is personally unable to pay a fine levied for acts
prohibited by this section, the parent of that minor shall be liable
for payment of the fine. A court may waive payment of the fine, or
any part thereof, by the parent upon a finding of good cause.
(e) As used in this section, the term "graffiti or other inscribed
material" includes any unauthorized inscription, word, figure, mark,
or design, that is written, marked, etched, scratched, drawn, or
painted on real or personal property.
(f) The court may order any person ordered to perform community
service or graffiti removal pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision
(c) to undergo counseling.
(g) This section shall become operative on January 1, 2002.



594.1. (a) (1) It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or
corporation, except a parent or legal guardian, to sell or give or in
any way furnish to another person, who is in fact under the age of
18 years, any etching cream or aerosol container of paint that is
capable of defacing property without first obtaining bona fide
evidence of majority and identity.
(2) For purposes of this section, "etching cream" means any
caustic cream, gel, liquid, or solution capable, by means of a
chemical action, of defacing, damaging, or destroying hard surfaces
in a manner similar to acid.
(3) For purposes of this subdivision, "bona fide evidence of
majority and identity" is any document evidencing the age and
identity of an individual which has been issued by a federal, state,
or local governmental entity, and includes, but is not limited to, a
motor vehicle operator's license, a registration certificate issued
under the federal Selective Service Act, or an identification card
issued to a member of the armed forces.
(4) This subdivision shall not apply to the furnishing of six
ounces or less of etching cream or an aerosol container of paint to a
minor for the minor's use or possession under the supervision of the
minor's parent, guardian, instructor, or employer.
(5) Etching cream, aerosol containers of paint, or related
substances may be furnished for use in school-related activities that
are part of the instructional program when used under controlled and
supervised situations within the classroom or on the site of a
supervised project. These containers may not leave the supervised
site and shall be inventoried by the instructor. This use shall
comply with Section 32060 of the Education Code regarding the safe
use of toxic art supplies in schools.
(b) It shall be unlawful for any person under the age of 18 years
to purchase etching cream or an aerosol container of paint that is
capable of defacing property.
(c) Every retailer selling or offering for sale in this state
etching cream or aerosol containers of paint capable of defacing
property shall post in a conspicuous place a sign in letters at least
three-eighths of an inch high stating: "Any person who maliciously
defaces real or personal property with etching cream or paint is
guilty of vandalism which is punishable by a fine, imprisonment, or
both."
(d) It is unlawful for any person to carry on his or her person
and in plain view to the public etching cream or an aerosol container
of paint while in any posted public facility, park, playground,
swimming pool, beach, or recreational area, other than a highway,
street, alley, or way, unless he or she has first received valid
authorization from the governmental entity which has jurisdiction
over the public area.
As used in this subdivision, "posted" means a sign placed in a
reasonable location or locations stating it is a misdemeanor to
possess etching cream or a spray can of paint in that public
facility, park, playground, swimming pool, beach, or recreational
area without valid authorization.
(e) (1) It is unlawful for any person under the age of 18 years to
possess etching cream or an aerosol container of paint for the
purpose of defacing property while on any public highway, street,
alley, or way, or other public place, regardless of whether that
person is or is not in any automobile, vehicle, or other conveyance.

(2) As a condition of probation for any violation of this
subdivision, the court may order a defendant convicted of a violation
of this subdivision to perform community service as follows:
(A) For a first conviction under this subdivision, community
service not to exceed 100 hours over a period not to exceed 90 days
during a time other than his or her hours of school attendance or
employment.
(B) If the person has a prior conviction under this subdivision,
community service not to exceed 200 hours over a period of 180 days
during a time other than his or her hours of school attendance or
employment.
(C) If the person has two prior convictions under this
subdivision, community service not to exceed 300 hours over a period
not to exceed 240 days during a time other than his or her hours of
school attendance or employment.
(f) Violation of any provision of this section is a misdemeanor.
Upon conviction of any person under this section, the court may, in
addition to any other punishment imposed, if the jurisdiction has
adopted a graffiti abatement program as defined in subdivision (f) of
Section 594, order the defendant, and his or her parents or
guardians if the defendant is a minor, to keep the damaged property
or another specified property in the community free of graffiti, as
follows:
(1) For a first conviction under this section, for 90 days.
(2) If the defendant has a prior conviction under this section,
for 180 days.
(3) If the defendant has two or more prior convictions under this
section, for 240 days.
Participation of a parent or guardian is not required under this
subdivision if the court deems this participation to be detrimental
to the defendant, or if the parent or guardian is a single parent who
must care for young children.
(g) The court may order any person ordered to perform community
service or graffiti removal pursuant to subdivision (e) or (f) to
undergo counseling.



594.2. (a) Every person who possesses a masonry or glass drill bit,
a carbide drill bit, a glass cutter, a grinding stone, an awl, a
chisel, a carbide scribe, an aerosol paint container, a felt tip
marker, or any other marking substance with the intent to commit
vandalism or graffiti, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
(b) As a condition of probation for any violation of this section,
the court may order the defendant to perform community service not
to exceed 90 hours during a time other than his or her hours of
school attendance or employment.
(c) For the purposes of this section:
(1) "Felt tip marker" means any broad-tipped marker pen with a tip
exceeding three-eighths of one inch in width, or any similar
implement containing an ink that is not water soluble.
(2) "Marking substance" means any substance or implement, other
than aerosol paint containers and felt tip markers, that could be
used to draw, spray, paint, etch, or mark.




594.3. (a) Any person who knowingly commits any act of vandalism to
a church, synagogue, mosque, temple, building owned and occupied by
a religious educational institution, or other place primarily used as
a place of worship where religious services are regularly conducted
or a cemetery is guilty of a crime punishable by imprisonment in the
state prison or by imprisonment in the county jail for not exceeding
one year.
(b) Any person who knowingly commits any act of vandalism to a
church, synagogue, mosque, temple, building owned and occupied by a
religious educational institution, or other place primarily used as a
place of worship where religious services are regularly conducted or
a cemetery, which is shown to have been a hate crime and to have
been committed for the purpose of intimidating and deterring persons
from freely exercising their religious beliefs, is guilty of a felony
punishable by imprisonment in the state prison.
(c) For purposes of this section, "hate crime" has the same
meaning as Section 422.55.



594.35. Every person is guilty of a crime and punishable by
imprisonment in the state prison or by imprisonment in a county jail
for not exceeding one year, who maliciously does any of the
following:
(a) Destroys, cuts, mutilates, effaces, or otherwise injures,
tears down, or removes any tomb, monument, memorial, or marker in a
cemetery, or any gate, door, fence, wall, post or railing, or any
inclosure for the protection of a cemetery or mortuary or any
property in a cemetery or mortuary.
(b) Obliterates any grave, vault, niche, or crypt.
(c) Destroys, cuts, breaks or injures any mortuary building or any
building, statuary, or ornamentation within the limits of a
cemetery.
(d) Disturbs, obstructs, detains or interferes with any person
carrying or accompanying human remains to a cemetery or funeral
establishment, or engaged in a funeral service, or an interment.




594.4. (a) Any person who willfully and maliciously injects into or
throws upon, or otherwise defaces, damages, destroys, or
contaminates, any structure with butyric acid, or any other similar
noxious or caustic chemical or substance, is guilty of a public
offense, punishable by imprisonment in the state prison or in a
county jail, by a fine as specified in subdivision (b), or by both
that imprisonment and fine.
(b) (1) If the amount of the defacement, damage, destruction, or
contamination is fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) or more, by a fine
of not more than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000).
(2) If the amount of the defacement, damage, destruction, or
contamination is five thousand dollars ($5,000) or more, but less
than fifty thousand dollars ($50,000), by a fine of not more than ten
thousand dollars ($10,000).
(3) If the amount of defacement, damage, destruction, or
contamination is four hundred dollars ($400) or more, but less than
five thousand dollars ($5,000), by a fine of not more than five
thousand dollars ($5,000).
(4) If the amount of the defacement, damage, destruction, or
contamination is less than four hundred dollars ($400), by a fine of
not more than one thousand dollars ($1,000).
(c) For purposes of this section, "structure" includes any house
or other building being used at the time of the offense for a
dwelling or for commercial purposes.



594.5. Nothing in this code shall invalidate an ordinance of, nor
be construed to prohibit the adoption of an ordinance by, a city,
city and county, or county, if the ordinance regulates the sale of
aerosol containers of paint or other liquid substances capable of
defacing property or sets forth civil administrative regulations,
procedures, or civil penalties governing the placement of graffiti or
other inscribed material on public or private, real or personal
property.


594.6. (a) Every person who, having been convicted of vandalism or
affixing graffiti or other inscribed material under Section 594,
594.3, 594.4, or 640.7, or any combination of these offenses, may be
ordered by the court as a condition of probation to perform community
service not to exceed 300 hours over a period not to exceed 240 days
during a time other than his or her hours of school attendance or
employment. Nothing in this subdivision shall limit the court from
ordering the defendant to perform a longer period of community
service if a longer period of community service is authorized under
other provisions of law.
(b) In lieu of the community service that may be ordered pursuant
to subdivision (a), the court may, if a jurisdiction has adopted a
graffiti abatement program as defined in subdivision (f) of Section
594, order the defendant, and his or her parents or guardians if the
defendant is a minor, as a condition of probation, to keep a
specified property in the community free of graffiti for up to one
year. Participation of a parent or guardian is not required under
this subdivision if the court deems this participation to be
detrimental to the defendant, or if the parent or guardian is a
single parent who must care for young children.
(c) The court may order any person ordered to perform community
service or graffiti removal pursuant to subdivision (a) or (b) to
undergo counseling.


594.7. Notwithstanding subdivision (b) of Section 594, every person
who, having been convicted previously of vandalism under Section 594
for maliciously defacing with graffiti or other inscribed material
any real or personal property not his or her own on two separate
occasions and having been incarcerated pursuant to a sentence, a
conditional sentence, or a grant of probation for at least one of the
convictions, is subsequently convicted of vandalism under Section
594, shall be punished by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding
one year, or in the state prison.



594.8. (a) Any person convicted of possession of a destructive
implement with intent to commit graffiti or willfully affixing
graffiti under Section 594.2, 640.5, 640.6, or 640.7, where the
offense was committed when he or she was under the age of 18 years,
shall perform not less than 24 hours of community service during a
time other than his or her hours of school attendance or employment.
One parent or guardian shall be present at the community service
site for at least one-half of the hours of community service required
under this section unless participation by the parent, guardian, or
foster parent is deemed by the court to be inappropriate or
potentially detrimental to the child.
(b) In lieu of the community service required pursuant to
subdivision (a), the court may, if a jurisdiction has adopted a
graffiti abatement program as defined in subdivision (f) of Section
594, order the defendant, and his or her parents or guardians if the
defendant is a minor, to keep a specified property in the community
free of graffiti for at least 60 days. Participation of a parent or
guardian is not required under this subdivision if the court deems
this participation to be detrimental to the defendant, or if the
parent or guardian is a single parent who must care for young
children.
(c) The court may order any person ordered to perform community
service or graffiti removal pursuant to subdivision (a) or (b) to
undergo counseling.



595. The specification of the Acts enumerated in the following
sections of this Chapter is not intended to restrict or qualify the
interpretation of the preceding section.



596. Every person who, without the consent of the owner, wilfully
administers poison to any animal, the property of another, or exposes
any poisonous substance, with the intent that the same shall be
taken or swallowed by any such animal, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
However, the provisions of this section shall not apply in the
case of a person who exposes poisonous substances upon premises or
property owned or controlled by him for the purpose of controlling or
destroying predatory animals or livestock-killing dogs and if, prior
to or during the placing out of such poisonous substances, he shall
have posted upon the property conspicuous signs located at intervals
of distance not greater than one-third of a mile apart, and in any
case not less than three such signs having words with letters at
least one inch high reading "Warning--Poisoned bait placed out on
these premises," which signs shall be kept in place until the
poisonous substances have been removed. Whenever such signs have
been conspicuously located upon the property or premises owned or
controlled by him as hereinabove provided, such person shall not be
charged with any civil liability to another party in the event that
any domestic animal belonging to such party becomes injured or killed
by trespassing or partaking of the poisonous substance or substances
so placed.


596.5. It shall be a misdemeanor for any owner or manager of an
elephant to engage in abusive behavior towards the elephant, which
behavior shall include the discipline of the elephant by any of the
following methods:
(a) Deprivation of food, water, or rest.
(b) Use of electricity.
(c) Physical punishment resulting in damage, scarring, or breakage
of skin.
(d) Insertion of any instrument into any bodily orifice.
(e) Use of martingales.
(f) Use of block and tackle.



596.7. (a) For purposes of this section, "rodeo" means a public
performance featuring competition between persons, which includes
four or more of the following events: bareback bronc riding, saddle
bronc riding, bull riding, calf roping, steer wrestling, or team
roping.
(b) The management of any professionally sanctioned or amateur
rodeo that intends to perform in any city, county, or city and county
shall ensure that there is a veterinarian licensed to practice in
this state present at all times during the performances of the rodeo,
or a veterinarian licensed to practice in the state who is on-call
and able to arrive at the rodeo within one hour after a determination
has been made that there is an injury which requires treatment to be
provided by a veterinarian.
(c) (1) The attending or on-call veterinarian shall have complete
access to the site of any event in the rodeo that uses animals.
(2) The attending or on-call veterinarian may, for good cause,
declare any animal unfit for use in any rodeo event.
(d) (1) Any animal that is injured during the course of, or as a
result of, any rodeo event shall receive immediate examination and
appropriate treatment by the attending veterinarian or shall begin
receiving examination and appropriate treatment by a veterinarian
licensed to practice in this state within one hour of the
determination of the injury requiring veterinary treatment.
(2) The attending or on-call veterinarian shall submit a brief
written listing of any animal injury requiring veterinary treatment
to the Veterinary Medical Board within 48 hours of the conclusion of
the rodeo.
(3) The rodeo management shall ensure that there is a conveyance
available at all times for the immediate and humane removal of any
injured animal.
(e) The rodeo management shall ensure that no electric prod or
similar device is used on any animal once the animal is in the
holding chute, unless necessary to protect the participants and
spectators of the rodeo.
(f) A violation of this section is an infraction and shall be
punishable as follows:
(1) A fine of not less than five hundred dollars ($500) and not
more than two thousand dollars ($2,000) for a first violation.
(2) A fine of not less than one thousand five hundred dollars
($1,500) and not more than five thousand dollars ($5,000) for a
second or subsequent violation.


597. (a) Except as provided in subdivision (c) of this section or
Section 599c, every person who maliciously and intentionally maims,
mutilates, tortures, or wounds a living animal, or maliciously and
intentionally kills an animal, is guilty of an offense punishable by
imprisonment in the state prison, or by a fine of not more than
twenty thousand dollars ($20,000), or by both the fine and
imprisonment, or, alternatively, by imprisonment in a county jail for
not more than one year, or by a fine of not more than twenty
thousand dollars ($20,000), or by both the fine and imprisonment.
(b) Except as otherwise provided in subdivision (a) or (c), every
person who overdrives, overloads, drives when overloaded, overworks,
tortures, torments, deprives of necessary sustenance, drink, or
shelter, cruelly beats, mutilates, or cruelly kills any animal, or
causes or procures any animal to be so overdriven, overloaded, driven
when overloaded, overworked, tortured, tormented, deprived of
necessary sustenance, drink, shelter, or to be cruelly beaten,
mutilated, or cruelly killed; and whoever, having the charge or
custody of any animal, either as owner or otherwise, subjects any
animal to needless suffering, or inflicts unnecessary cruelty upon
the animal, or in any manner abuses any animal, or fails to provide
the animal with proper food, drink, or shelter or protection from the
weather, or who drives, rides, or otherwise uses the animal when
unfit for labor, is, for every such offense, guilty of a crime
punishable as a misdemeanor or as a felony or alternatively
punishable as a misdemeanor or a felony and by a fine of not more
than twenty thousand dollars ($20,000).
(c) Every person who maliciously and intentionally maims,
mutilates, or tortures any mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, or fish
as described in subdivision (d), is guilty of an offense punishable
by imprisonment in the state prison, or by a fine of not more than
twenty thousand dollars ($20,000), or by both the fine and
imprisonment, or, alternatively, by imprisonment in the county jail
for not more than one year, by a fine of not more than twenty
thousand dollars ($20,000), or by both the fine and imprisonment.
(d) Subdivision (c) applies to any mammal, bird, reptile,
amphibian, or fish which is a creature described as follows:
(1) Endangered species or threatened species as described in
Chapter 1.5 (commencing with Section 2050) of Division 3 of the Fish
and Game Code.
(2) Fully protected birds described in Section 3511 of the Fish
and Game Code.
(3) Fully protected mammals described in Chapter 8 (commencing
with Section 4700) of Part 3 of Division 4 of the Fish and Game Code.

(4) Fully protected reptiles and amphibians described in Chapter 2
(commencing with Section 5050) of Division 5 of the Fish and Game
Code.
(5) Fully protected fish as described in Section 5515 of the Fish
and Game Code.
This subdivision does not supersede or affect any provisions of
law relating to taking of the described species, including, but not
limited to, Section 12008 of the Fish and Game Code.
(e) For the purposes of subdivision (c), each act of malicious and
intentional maiming, mutilating, or torturing a separate specimen of
a creature described in subdivision (d) is a separate offense. If
any person is charged with a violation of subdivision (c), the
proceedings shall be subject to Section 12157 of the Fish and Game
Code.
(f) (1) Upon the conviction of a person charged with a violation
of this section by causing or permitting an act of cruelty, as
defined in Section 599b, all animals lawfully seized and impounded
with respect to the violation by a peace officer, officer of a humane
society, or officer of a pound or animal regulation department of a
public agency shall be adjudged by the court to be forfeited and
shall thereupon be awarded to the impounding officer for proper
disposition. A person convicted of a violation of this section by
causing or permitting an act of cruelty, as defined in Section 599b,
shall be liable to the impounding officer for all costs of
impoundment from the time of seizure to the time of proper
disposition.
(2) Mandatory seizure or impoundment shall not apply to animals in
properly conducted scientific experiments or investigations
performed under the authority of the faculty of a regularly
incorporated medical college or university of this state.
(g) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, if a defendant is
granted probation for a conviction under this section, the court
shall order the defendant to pay for, and successfully complete,
counseling, as determined by the court, designed to evaluate and
treat behavior or conduct disorders. If the court finds that the
defendant is financially unable to pay for that counseling, the court
may develop a sliding fee schedule based upon the defendant's
ability to pay. An indigent defendant may negotiate a deferred
payment schedule, but shall pay a nominal fee if the defendant has
the ability to pay the nominal fee. County mental health departments
or Medi-Cal shall be responsible for the costs of counseling
required by this section only for those persons who meet the medical
necessity criteria for mental health managed care pursuant to Section
1830.205 of Title 7 of the California Code of Regulations or the
targeted population criteria specified in Section 5600.3 of the
Welfare and Institutions Code. The counseling specified in this
subdivision shall be in addition to any other terms and conditions of
probation, including any term of imprisonment and any fine. This
provision specifies a mandatory additional term of probation and is
not to be utilized as an alternative in lieu of imprisonment in the
state prison or county jail when such a sentence is otherwise
appropriate. If the court does not order custody as a condition of
probation for a conviction under this section, the court shall
specify on the court record the reason or reasons for not ordering
custody. This subdivision shall not apply to cases involving police
dogs or horses as described in Section 600.


597.1. (a) Every owner, driver, or keeper of any animal who permits
the animal to be in any building, enclosure, lane, street, square,
or lot of any city, county, city and county, or judicial district
without proper care and attention is guilty of a misdemeanor. Any
peace officer, humane society officer, or animal control officer
shall take possession of the stray or abandoned animal and shall
provide care and treatment for the animal until the animal is deemed
to be in suitable condition to be returned to the owner. When the
officer has reasonable grounds to believe that very prompt action is
required to protect the health or safety of the animal or the health
or safety of others, the officer shall immediately seize the animal
and comply with subdivision (f). In all other cases, the officer
shall comply with the provisions of subdivision (g). The cost of
caring for and treating any animal properly seized under this
subdivision shall constitute a lien on the animal and the animal
shall not be returned to its owner until the charges are paid, if the
seizure is upheld pursuant to this section.
(b) Every sick, disabled, infirm, or crippled animal, except a dog
or cat, that is abandoned in any city, county, city and county, or
judicial district may be killed by the officer if, after a reasonable
search, no owner of the animal can be found. It shall be the duty
of all peace officers, humane society officers, and animal control
officers to cause the animal to be killed or rehabilitated and placed
in a suitable home on information that the animal is stray or
abandoned. The officer may likewise take charge of any animal,
including a dog or cat, that by reason of lameness, sickness,
feebleness, or neglect, is unfit for the labor it is performing, or
that in any other manner is being cruelly treated, and provide care
and treatment for the animal until it is deemed to be in a suitable
condition to be returned to the owner. When the officer has
reasonable grounds to believe that very prompt action is required to
protect the health or safety of an animal or the health or safety of
others, the officer shall immediately seize the animal and comply
with subdivision (f). In all other cases, the officer shall comply
with subdivision (g). The cost of caring for and treating any animal
properly seized under this subdivision shall constitute a lien on
the animal and the animal shall not be returned to its owner until
the charges are paid.
(c) Any peace officer, humane society officer, or animal control
officer shall convey all injured cats and dogs found without their
owners in a public place directly to a veterinarian known by the
officer to be a veterinarian who ordinarily treats dogs and cats for
a determination of whether the animal shall be immediately and
humanely destroyed or shall be hospitalized under proper care and
given emergency treatment.
If the owner does not redeem the animal within the locally
prescribed waiting period, the veterinarian may personally perform
euthanasia on the animal. If the animal is treated and recovers from
its injuries, the veterinarian may keep the animal for purposes of
adoption, provided the responsible animal control agency has first
been contacted and has refused to take possession of the animal.
Whenever any animal is transferred to a veterinarian in a clinic,
such as an emergency clinic that is not in continuous operation, the
veterinarian may, in turn, transfer the animal to an appropriate
facility.
If the veterinarian determines that the animal shall be
hospitalized under proper care and given emergency treatment, the
costs of any services that are provided pending the owner's inquiry
to the responsible agency, department, or society shall be paid from
the dog license fees, fines, and fees for impounding dogs in the
city, county, or city and county in which the animal was licensed or,
if the animal is unlicensed, shall be paid by the jurisdiction in
which the animal was found, subject to the provision that this cost
be repaid by the animal's owner. The cost of caring for and treating
any animal seized under this subdivision shall constitute a lien on
the animal and the animal shall not be returned to the owner until
the charges are paid. No veterinarian shall be criminally or civilly
liable for any decision that he or she makes or for services that he
or she provides pursuant to this subdivision.
(d) An animal control agency that takes possession of an animal
pursuant to subdivision (c) shall keep records of the whereabouts of
the animal from the time of possession to the end of the animal's
impoundment, and those records shall be available for inspection by
the public upon request for three years after the date the animal's
impoundment ended.
(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of this section, any peace
officer, humane society officer, or any animal control officer may,
with the approval of his or her immediate superior, humanely destroy
any stray or abandoned animal in the field in any case where the
animal is too severely injured to move or where a veterinarian is not
available and it would be more humane to dispose of the animal.
(f) Whenever an officer authorized under this section seizes or
impounds an animal based on a reasonable belief that prompt action is
required to protect the health or safety of the animal or the health
or safety of others, the officer shall, prior to the commencement of
any criminal proceedings authorized by this section, provide the
owner or keeper of the animal, if known or ascertainable after
reasonable investigation, with the opportunity for a postseizure
hearing to determine the validity of the seizure or impoundment, or
both.
(1) The agency shall cause a notice to be affixed to a conspicuous
place where the animal was situated or personally deliver a notice
of the seizure or impoundment, or both, to the owner or keeper within
48 hours, excluding weekends and holidays. The notice shall include
all of the following:
(A) The name, business address, and telephone number of the
officer providing the notice.
(B) A description of the animal seized, including any
identification upon the animal.
(C) The authority and purpose for the seizure, or impoundment,
including the time, place, and circumstances under which the animal
was seized.
(D) A statement that, in order to receive a postseizure hearing,
the owner or person authorized to keep the animal, or his or her
agent, shall request the hearing by signing and returning an enclosed
declaration of ownership or right to keep the animal to the agency
providing the notice within 10 days, including weekends and holidays,
of the date of the notice. The declaration may be returned by
personal delivery or mail.
(E) A statement that the cost of caring for and treating any
animal properly seized under this section is a lien on the animal and
that the animal shall not be returned to the owner until the charges
are paid, and that failure to request or to attend a scheduled
hearing shall result in liability for this cost.
(2) The postseizure hearing shall be conducted within 48 hours of
the request, excluding weekends and holidays. The seizing agency may
authorize its own officer or employee to conduct the hearing if the
hearing officer is not the same person who directed the seizure or
impoundment of the animal and is not junior in rank to that person.
The agency may utilize the services of a hearing officer from outside
the agency for the purposes of complying with this section.
(3) Failure of the owner or keeper, or of his or her agent, to
request or to attend a scheduled hearing shall result in a forfeiture
of any right to a postseizure hearing or right to challenge his or
her liability for costs incurred.
(4) The agency, department, or society employing the person who
directed the seizure shall be responsible for the costs incurred for
caring and treating the animal, if it is determined in the
postseizure hearing that the seizing officer did not have reasonable
grounds to believe very prompt action, including seizure of the
animal, was required to protect the health or safety of the animal or
the health or safety of others. If it is determined the seizure was
justified, the owner or keeper shall be personally liable to the
seizing agency for the cost of the seizure and care of the animal,
the charges for the seizure and care of the animal shall be a lien on
the animal, and the animal shall not be returned to its owner until
the charges are paid and the seizing agency or hearing officer has
determined that the animal is physically fit or the owner
demonstrates to the seizing agency's or the hearing officer's
satisfaction that the owner can and will provide the necessary care.

(g) Where the need for immediate seizure is not present and prior
to the commencement of any criminal proceedings authorized by this
section, the agency shall provide the owner or keeper of the animal,
if known or ascertainable after reasonable investigation, with the
opportunity for a hearing prior to any seizure or impoundment of the
animal. The owner shall produce the animal at the time of the
hearing unless, prior to the hearing, the owner has made arrangements
with the agency to view the animal upon request of the agency, or
unless the owner can provide verification that the animal was
humanely destroyed. Any person who willfully fails to produce the
animal or provide the verification is guilty of an infraction,
punishable by a fine of not less than two hundred fifty dollars
($250) nor more than one thousand dollars ($1,000).
(1) The agency shall cause a notice to be affixed to a conspicuous
place where the animal was situated or personally deliver a notice
stating the grounds for believing the animal should be seized under
subdivision (a) or (b). The notice shall include all of the
following:
(A) The name, business address, and telephone number of the
officer providing the notice.
(B) A description of the animal to be seized, including any
identification upon the animal.
(C) The authority and purpose for the possible seizure or
impoundment.
(D) A statement that, in order to receive a hearing prior to any
seizure, the owner or person authorized to keep the animal, or his or
her agent, shall request the hearing by signing and returning the
enclosed declaration of ownership or right to keep the animal to the
officer providing the notice within two days, excluding weekends and
holidays, of the date of the notice.
(E) A statement that the cost of caring for and treating any
animal properly seized under this section is a lien on the animal,
that any animal seized shall not be returned to the owner until the
charges are paid, and that failure to request or to attend a
scheduled hearing shall result in a conclusive determination that the
animal may properly be seized and that the owner shall be liable for
the charges.
(2) The preseizure hearing shall be conducted within 48 hours,
excluding weekends and holidays, after receipt of the request. The
seizing agency may authorize its own officer or employee to conduct
the hearing if the hearing officer is not the same person who
requests the seizure or impoundment of the animal and is not junior
in rank to that person. The agency may utilize the services of a
hearing officer from outside the agency for the purposes of complying
with this section.
(3) Failure of the owner or keeper, or his or her agent, to
request or to attend a scheduled hearing shall result in a forfeiture
of any right to a preseizure hearing or right to challenge his or
her liability for costs incurred pursuant to this section.
(4) The hearing officer, after the hearing, may affirm or deny the
owner's or keeper's right to custody of the animal and, if
reasonable grounds are established, may order the seizure or
impoundment of the animal for care and treatment.
(h) If any animal is properly seized under this section, the owner
or keeper shall be personally liable to the seizing agency for the
cost of the seizure and care of the animal. Furthermore, if the
charges for the seizure or impoundment and any other charges
permitted under this section are not paid within 14 days of the
seizure, or, if the owner, within 14 days of notice of availability
of the animal to be returned, fails to pay charges permitted under
this section and take possession of the animal, the animal shall be
deemed to have been abandoned and may be disposed of by the
impounding officer.
(i) If the animal requires veterinary care and the humane society
or public agency is not assured, within 14 days of the seizure of the
animal, that the owner will provide the necessary care, the animal
shall not be returned to its owner and shall be deemed to have been
abandoned and may be disposed of by the impounding officer. A
veterinarian may humanely destroy an impounded animal without regard
to the prescribed holding period when it has been determined that the
animal has incurred severe injuries or is incurably crippled. A
veterinarian also may immediately humanely destroy an impounded
animal afflicted with a serious contagious disease unless the owner
or his or her agent immediately authorizes treatment of the animal by
a veterinarian at the expense of the owner or agent.
(j) No animal properly seized under this section shall be returned
to its owner until, in the determination of the seizing agency or
hearing officer, the animal is physically fit or the owner can
demonstrate to the seizing agency's or hearing officer's satisfaction
that the owner can and will provide the necessary care.
(k) Upon the conviction of a person charged with a violation of
this section, or Section 597 or 597a, all animals lawfully seized and
impounded with respect to the violation shall be adjudged by the
court to be forfeited and shall thereupon be transferred to the
impounding officer or appropriate public entity for proper adoption
or other disposition. A person convicted of a violation of this
section shall be personally liable to the seizing agency for all
costs of impoundment from the time of seizure to the time of proper
disposition. Upon conviction, the court shall order the convicted
person to make payment to the appropriate public entity for the costs
incurred in the housing, care, feeding, and treatment of the seized
or impounded animals. Each person convicted in connection with a
particular animal may be held jointly and severally liable for
restitution for that particular animal. The payment shall be in
addition to any other fine or sentence ordered by the court.
The court may also order, as a condition of probation, that the
convicted person be prohibited from owning, possessing, caring for,
or having any contact with, animals of any kind and require the
convicted person to immediately deliver all animals in his or her
possession to a designated public entity for adoption or other lawful
disposition or provide proof to the court that the person no longer
has possession, care, or control of any animals. In the event of the
acquittal or final discharge without conviction of the arrested
person, the court shall, on demand, direct the release of seized or
impounded animals upon a showing of proof of ownership. Any
questions regarding ownership shall be determined in a separate
hearing by the court where the criminal case was finally adjudicated
and the court shall hear testimony from any persons who may assist
the court in determining ownership of the animal. If the owner is
determined to be unknown or the owner is prohibited or unable to
retain possession of the animals for any reason, the court shall
order the animals to be released to the appropriate public entity for
adoption or other lawful disposition. This section is not intended
to cause the release of any animal, bird, reptile, amphibian, or
fish, seized or impounded pursuant to any other statute, ordinance,
or municipal regulation. This section shall not prohibit the seizure
or impoundment of animals as evidence as provided for under any other
provision of law.
(l) It shall be the duty of all peace officers, humane society
officers, and animal control officers to use all currently acceptable
methods of identification, both electronic and otherwise, to
determine the lawful owner or caretaker of any seized or impounded
animal. It shall also be their duty to make reasonable efforts to
notify the owner or caretaker of the whereabouts of the animal and
any procedures available for the lawful recovery of the animal and,
upon the owner's and caretaker's initiation of recovery procedures,
retain custody of the animal for a reasonable period of time to allow
for completion of the recovery process. Efforts to locate or
contact the owner or caretaker and communications with persons
claiming to be the owner or caretaker shall be recorded and
maintained and be made available for public inspection.



597.2. (a) It shall be the duty of an officer of a pound, humane
society, or animal regulation department of a public agency to assist
in a case involving the abandonment or voluntary relinquishment of
an equine by the equine's owner. This section does not require a
pound, humane society, or animal regulation department of a public
agency to take actual possession of the equine.
(b) If a pound, humane society, or animal regulation department of
a public agency sells an equine at a private or public auction or
sale, it shall set the minimum bid for the sale of the equine at a
price above the current slaughter price of the equine.
(c) (1) This section does not prohibit a pound, humane society, or
animal regulation department of a public agency from placing an
equine through an adoption program at an adoption fee that may be set
below current slaughter price.
(2) A person adopting an equine under paragraph (1) shall submit a
written statement declaring that the person is adopting the equine
for personal use and not for purposes of resale, resale for
slaughter, or holding or transporting the equine for slaughter.




597.3. (a) Every person who operates a live animal market shall do
all of the following:
(1) Provide that no animal will be dismembered, flayed, cut open,
or have its skin, scales, feathers, or shell removed while the animal
is still alive.
(2) Provide that no live animals will be confined, held, or
displayed in a manner that results, or is likely to result, in
injury, starvation, dehydration, or suffocation.
(b) As used in this section:
(1) "Animal" means frogs, turtles, and birds sold for the purpose
of human consumption, with the exception of poultry.
(2) "Live animal market" means a retail food market where, in the
regular course of business, animals are stored alive and sold to
consumers for the purpose of human consumption.
(c) Any person who fails to comply with any requirement of
subdivision (a) shall for the first violation, be given a written
warning in a written language that is understood by the person
receiving the warning. A second or subsequent violation of
subdivision (a) shall be an infraction, punishable by a fine of not
less than two hundred fifty dollars ($250), nor more than one
thousand dollars ($1,000). However, a fine paid for a second
violation of subdivision (a) shall be deferred for six months if a
course is available that is administered by a state or local agency
on state law and local ordinances relating to live animal markets.
If the defendant successfully completes that course within six months
of entry of judgment, the fine shall be waived. The state or local
agency may charge the participant a fee to take the course, not to
exceed one hundred dollars ($100).



597.5. (a) Any person who does any of the following is guilty of a
felony and is punishable by imprisonment in a state prison for 16
months, or two or three years, or by a fine not to exceed fifty
thousand dollars ($50,000), or by both such fine and imprisonment:
(1) Owns, possesses, keeps, or trains any dog, with the intent
that the dog shall be engaged in an exhibition of fighting with
another dog.
(2) For amusement or gain, causes any dog to fight with another
dog, or causes any dogs to injure each other.
(3) Permits any act in violation of paragraph (1) or (2) to be
done on any premises under his or her charge or control, or aids or
abets that act.
(b) Any person who is knowingly present, as a spectator, at any
place, building, or tenement where preparations are being made for an
exhibition of the fighting of dogs, with the intent to be present at
those preparations, or is knowingly present at that exhibition or at
any other fighting or injuring as described in paragraph (2) of
subdivision (a), with the intent to be present at that exhibition,
fighting, or injuring, is guilty of a misdemeanor.
(c) Nothing in this section shall prohibit any of the following:
(1) The use of dogs in the management of livestock, as defined by
Section 14205 of the Food and Agricultural Code, by the owner of the
livestock or his or her employees or agents or other persons in
lawful custody thereof.
(2) The use of dogs in hunting as permitted by the Fish and Game
Code, including, but not limited to, Sections 3286, 3509, 3510, 4002,
and 4756, and by the rules and regulations of the Fish and Game
Commission.
(3) The training of dogs or the use of equipment in the training
of dogs for any purpose not prohibited by law.




597.6. (a) (1) No person may perform, or otherwise procure or
arrange for the performance of, surgical claw removal, declawing,
onychectomy, or tendonectomy on any cat that is a member of an exotic
or native wild cat species, and shall not otherwise alter such a cat'
s toes, claws, or paws to prevent the normal function of the cat's
toes, claws, or paws.
(2) This subdivision does not apply to a procedure performed
solely for a therapeutic purpose.
(b) Any person who violates this section is guilty of a
misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for a period
not to exceed one year, by a fine of ten thousand dollars ($10,000),
or by both that imprisonment and fine.
(c) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the
following meanings:
(1) "Declawing" and "onychectomy" mean any surgical procedure in (continued)