Ohio Code 935.101 – Rescue facility permit
(A)(1) In lieu of obtaining any other permit under this chapter, a person that operates a rescue facility in this state prior to January 1, 2014, and that wishes to continue to operate a rescue facility on and after that date shall obtain a rescue facility permit under this section not later than January 1, 2014.
Terms Used In Ohio Code 935.101
- agriculture: includes farming; ranching; aquaculture; algaculture meaning the farming of algae; apiculture and related apicultural activities, production of honey, beeswax, honeycomb, and other related products; horticulture; viticulture, winemaking, and related activities; animal husbandry, including, but not limited to, the care and raising of livestock, equine, and fur-bearing animals; poultry husbandry and the production of poultry and poultry products; dairy production; the production of field crops, tobacco, fruits, vegetables, nursery stock, ornamental shrubs, ornamental trees, flowers, sod, or mushrooms; timber; pasturage; any combination of the foregoing; the processing, drying, storage, and marketing of agricultural products when those activities are conducted in conjunction with, but are secondary to, such husbandry or production; and any additions or modifications to the foregoing made by the director of agriculture by rule adopted in accordance with Chapter 119 of the Revised Code. See Ohio Code 1.61
- Dangerous wild animal: means any of the following, including hybrids unless otherwise specified:
(1) Hyenas;
(2) Gray wolves, excluding hybrids;
(3) Lions;
(4) Tigers;
(5) Jaguars;
(6) Leopards, including clouded leopards, Sunda clouded leopards, and snow leopards;
(7) All of the following, including hybrids with domestic cats unless otherwise specified:
(a) Cheetahs;
(b) Lynxes, including Canadian lynxes, Eurasian lynxes, and Iberian lynxes;
(c) Cougars, also known as pumas or mountain lions;
(d) Caracals;
(e) Servals, excluding hybrids with domestic cats commonly known as savannah cats. See Ohio Code 935.01
- Person: includes an individual, corporation, business trust, estate, trust, partnership, and association. See Ohio Code 1.59
- Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
- Rescue facility: means a nonprofit organization as described in section 170 of the "Internal Revenue Code of 1986" 100 Stat. See Ohio Code 935.01
- state: means the state of Ohio. See Ohio Code 1.59
(2) A person that wishes to begin operation of a rescue facility in this state on or after January 1, 2014, shall obtain a rescue facility permit under this section not later than sixty days prior to beginning operation.
(B)(1) An applicant for a rescue facility permit shall file an application for a permit with the director of agriculture on a form prescribed and provided by the director. The application shall include information that the director requires in rules.
(2) An applicant for a rescue facility permit shall submit one of the following fees, as applicable, with an application:
(a) Five hundred dollars if the applicant possesses not more than three dangerous wild animals;
(b) One thousand dollars if the applicant possesses at least four, but not more than fifteen dangerous wild animals;
(c) Two thousand dollars if the applicant possesses sixteen or more dangerous wild animals.
(3) If a permit application is denied, two hundred fifty dollars of the application fee shall be retained by the director as payment for the reasonable expense of processing the application and the remainder of the fee shall be returned to the applicant.
(C) The director shall issue or deny a rescue facility permit in accordance with rules. The director shall issue a rescue facility permit only if the dangerous wild animal or animals that are or are to be possessed by an applicant are sterilized.
(D) A person that has been issued a rescue facility permit under this section shall comply with the requirements regarding the care and housing of dangerous wild animals established in rules adopted under division (G) of section 935.17 of the Revised Code.
(E) A person that has been issued a rescue facility permit under this section may acquire, except by purchase, possession or ownership of a dangerous wild animal.