N.Y. AGM Law § 424 — New York Code / Act AGM / Article 26-C / Section 424
General facility standards
Status: in_force

§ 424. General facility standards. 1. All facilities and all interior\ncomponents of each animal shelter shall be constructed of materials that\nensure a sound physical structure, and shall be maintained so as to\nprotect animals from injury, ensure containment of animals within the\nproperty, and restrict unauthorized entry of other animals and humans to\nthe building.\n  2. Indoor building surfaces in direct contact with animals shall be\nconstructed of materials that are non-porous, water resistant, non-toxic\nand able to withstand regular cleaning and disinfection. Adequate\ndrainage shall prevent the accumulation of water or other liquids on\nfloors.\n  3. Electrical power and running water shall be maintained to all parts\nof the facility that house animals, with written emergency plans for\nback-up sources or relocation of the animals to a safe environment in\nthe event of outages lasting more than four hours.\n  4. Readily accessible sinks shall be convenient to all animal care\nareas. Single service soap and towels or electric hand dryers shall be\navailable at all hand-washing locations.\n  5. Ambient temperatures in all indoor animal housing areas shall be\nroutinely maintained between sixty and eighty degrees fahrenheit.\n  6. Each animal shall be monitored and provided with an environment\nallowing maintenance of normal body temperature based on species, breed,\nbody condition, medical condition, and age.\n  7. Each animal shelter shall document regular maintenance of air\nhandling systems according to the manufacturer's recommendations.\n  8. Ammonia levels shall be kept at less than two parts per million.\n  9. Each animal shelter shall provide separate housing areas,\nsegregated by species and from uninfected, unexposed animals, for the\nhousing of any animal with an infectious disease that may be transmitted\nwithin the shelter environment and requiring isolation as determined by\na licensed veterinarian. Doors separating such rooms from the remainder\nof the facility shall be kept closed.\n  10. Each animal shelter shall minimize continuous exposure of\npersonnel and animals to sound levels exceeding eighty-five decibels.\nActive measures shall be taken and documented to minimize sound levels\nin housing areas. Such measures may include modified kennel design,\nrelocation of particularly loud animals, or use of visual barriers,\nsound baffling, and behavioral enrichment protocols. Each animal shelter\nshall use a decibel-meter at a minimum of once weekly to measure the\nlevel of sound in their kennels during cleaning and resting times. A\nrecord of such measurements and the date such measurements were recorded\nshall be maintained by each animal shelter.\n  11. Each animal shelter shall provide animal housing areas that\nprovide adequate lighting and a means to maintain diurnal light cycles\npursuant to an established schedule. All animals shall have a minimum of\neight hours each of light and darkness within a twenty-four-hour cycle.\n  12. Each animal shelter shall establish and maintain a written plan\nfor pest and vermin control including the following:\n  (a) Method of controlling rodent infestation that is effective and\nsafe for both humans, and animals housed in the facility;\n  (b) A record or copies of service reports from outside service\nproviders related to pest and vermin control that documents dates,\nmethods, locations, and outcomes, if applicable; and\n  (c) Food stored in rodent proof containers to prevent spoilage,\ncontamination, and infestation once opened, if packaging has been\ndamaged, or as otherwise required by such plan.\n  13. The use of unattended drop boxes for intake of animals is\nprohibited.\n