Santa Rosa County Animal Services

Veterinarian Rabies Vaccination Certificate Filing with Animal Services

F.S. 828.30(3) states: "Upon vaccination against rabies, the licensed veterinarian shall provide the animal's owner and the animal control authority with a rabies vaccination certificate." The statute requires each animal control authority and veterinarian to use the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV) Rabies Vaccination Certificate or an equivalent form approved by the local government. Section 6 of the Santa Rosa County Animal Ordinance, adopted by the Board of County Commissioners on September 12, 2019, requires every owner to have an animal four months of age or older vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian, with evidence in the form of a certificate signed by the veterinarian; one copy goes to the owner, "one filed with the Division", and one is kept by the person administering the vaccine. Section 7 makes the person administering the vaccine responsible for issuing a metal, serially numbered rabies tag valid for one or three years. A veterinary practice in Santa Rosa County therefore files a certificate copy with the county's animal control authority for each rabies vaccination it gives.