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<section article="gcr" article_name="Criminal Law" number="10-616" title_number="10" title_name="Crimes Against Public Health, Conduct, and Sensibilities" subtitle_number="6" subtitle_name="Crimes Relating to Animals">
  <level label="a">
    <text>This section does not apply to premises:</text>
    <level label="1">
      <text>where dogs are kept or bred solely for medical or related research or laboratory tests;</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>operated by a licensed and regularly practicing veterinarian; or</text>
    </level>
    <level label="3">
      <text>where hunting dogs are housed, if the buying, selling, trading, or breeding is incidental to the main purposes of housing, keeping, and using dogs.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="b">
    <level label="1">
      <text>To determine if dogs are being treated inhumanely in violation of this subtitle or other law, an authorized director of a humane society, accompanied by a sheriff or a deputy sheriff, may inspect a premises:</text>
      <level label="i">
        <text>where a person is engaged in the business of buying, selling, trading, or breeding dogs; or</text>
      </level>
      <level label="ii">
        <text>of a kennel where 25 or more dogs are kept.</text>
      </level>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>A person who inspects premises under paragraph (1) of this subsection shall give prior written notice of the time and date of the inspection to the owner or occupant of the premises.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
  <level label="c">
    <level label="1">
      <text>In Baltimore City, the Baltimore City Health Department shall enforce this section.</text>
    </level>
    <level label="2">
      <text>In Baltimore County, the Baltimore County Department of Health, Division of Animal Control or an organization that the Baltimore County government approves shall enforce this section.</text>
    </level>
  </level>
</section>
