Seminole County Animal Services

Standards of Care Certificate (Animal Boarding and Dog or Cat Sales)

County Code Sec. 20.71(a) requires a Standards of Care Certificate before buying, selling, re-homing or adopting out dogs or cats, boarding dogs or cats, or operating an animal-based business paid for housing, boarding, buying, selling, re-homing or adopting out dogs or cats. Sec. 20.71(b) exempts animal hospitals, animal training facilities and grooming facilities that do not provide or offer boarding, and Sec. 20.01 defines boarding as paid overnight housing, excluding animal hospitals or veterinary clinics housing dogs and cats overnight to recover from medical procedures. A veterinary clinic therefore needs the certificate only if it offers paid boarding, and a retail store only if it buys or sells dogs or cats. Administrative Code 20.5, linked from the county's current Administrative Code index, sets the annual certificate at $150.00 for a commercial, business or for-profit holder, late fees of $25.00 in the first month, a further $50.00 in the second and $75.00 in the third and each later month, and $5.00 for a duplicate. Under Sec. 20.72(b) a holder first subject after March 31 pays one-half of the full fee, and Sec. 20.73 runs each certificate for the fiscal year October 1 to September 30. Sec. 20.02 applies the Part in all unincorporated areas and in cities that repeal inconsistent ordinances and sign an interlocal agreement with the Board of County Commissioners.