Neb. Rev. Stat. § 54-628 — NE Code / Chapter 54 / Section 54-628
View Statute 54-628
Status: in_force

(1) The department shall inspect all licensees at least once in a twenty-four-month period to determine whether the licensee is in compliance with the Commercial Dog and Cat Operator Inspection Act.

(2) Any additional inspector or other field personnel employed by the department to carry out inspections pursuant to the act that are funded through General Fund appropriations to the department shall be available for temporary reassignment as needed to other activities and functions of the department in the event of a livestock disease emergency or any other threat to livestock or public health.

(3) When an inspection produces evidence of a violation of the act or the rules and regulations of the department, a copy of a written report of the inspection and violations shown thereon, prepared by the inspector, shall be given to the applicant, licensee, or person the department has reason to believe is an operator, together with written notice to comply within the time limit established by the department and set out in such notice. If the department performs a reinspection for the purpose of determining if an operator has complied within the time limit for compliance established pursuant to this subsection or has complied with section 54-628.01 or if the inspector must return to the operator's location because the operator was not available within a reasonable time as required by subsection (4) of this section, the applicant, licensee, or person the department has reason to believe is an operator shall pay a reinspection fee of one hundred fifty dollars together with the mileage of the inspector at the rate provided in section 81-1176 . The purpose of the reinspection fee is to pay for the administrative costs associated with the additional inspection. Any fees collected pursuant to this section shall be remitted to the State Treasurer for credit to the Commercial Dog and Cat Operator Inspection Program Cash Fund. The assessment of the reinspection fee shall not prohibit the director from taking any other action as provided in the act.

(4) The department, at its discretion, may make unannounced inspections of any applicant, licensee, or person the department has reason to believe is an operator during normal business hours. An applicant, a licensee, and any person the department has reason to believe is an operator shall provide the department, in writing, and keep updated if there is any change, a telephone number where the operator can be reached during normal business hours. The applicant, licensee, or person the department has reason to believe is an operator shall provide a person over the age of nineteen to be available at the operation for the purpose of allowing the department to perform an inspection.

(5) If deemed necessary under the act or any rule or regulation adopted and promulgated pursuant to the act, the department may, for purposes of inspection, enter, without being subject to any action for trespass or damages, the premises of any applicant, licensee, or person the department has reason to believe is an operator, during normal business hours and in a reasonable manner, including all premises in or upon which dogs or cats are housed, harbored, sold, exchanged, or leased or are suspected of being housed, harbored, sold, exchanged, or leased.

(6) Pursuant to an inspection under the act, the department may:

(a) Enter and have full access to all premises where dogs or cats regulated under the act are harbored or housed or are suspected of being harbored or housed;

(b) Access all records pertaining to dogs or cats regulated under the act or suspected of pertaining to such dogs or cats and examine and copy all records pertaining to compliance with the act and the rules or regulations adopted and promulgated under the act. The department shall have authority to gather evidence, including, but not limited to, photographs;

(c) Inspect or reinspect any vehicle or carrier transporting or holding dogs or cats that is in the state to determine compliance with the act or any rules or regulations adopted and promulgated under the act;

(d) Obtain an inspection warrant in the manner prescribed in sections 29-830 to 29-835 if any person refuses to allow the department to conduct an inspection pursuant to the act; or

(e) Issue and enforce a written stop-movement order pursuant to section 54-628.01 .

(7) For purposes of this section, the private residence of any applicant, licensee, or person the department has reason to believe is an operator shall be available for purposes of inspection only if dogs or cats are housed in a primary enclosure within the residence, including a room in such residence, and only such portion of the residence that is used as a primary enclosure shall be open to an inspection pursuant to this section.

(8) An applicant, licensee, or person the department has reason to believe is an operator shall not seek to avoid inspection by hiding dogs or cats regulated under the act in a private residence, on someone else's property, or at any other location. An applicant, licensee, or person the department has reason to believe is an operator shall provide full and accurate information to the department regarding the location of all dogs or cats harbored by the operator.

(9) Any applicant, licensee, or person the department has reason to believe is an operator who intentionally refuses to answer the door, fails to be available as provided in subsection (4) of this section, fails to comply with subsection (8) of this section, or otherwise obstructs the department's attempt to perform an inspection shall be in violation of section 54-634 and subject to an administrative fine or other proceedings as provided in section 54-633 or 54-634 .

Laws 2000, LB 825, § 4;

Laws 2007, LB12, § 3;

Laws 2009, LB241, § 5;

Laws 2015, LB360, § 16.