Animal Care, a part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture 

(USDA), conducts inspections to assess whether dealers, 

exhibitors, research facilities, intermediate handlers, and 

carriers are in compliance with the Animal Welfare Act 

(AWA) and its regulations and standards. The following 

information is a quick reference for these facility operators 

on the process for appealing an inspection report. 

Overview

An appeal is a formal request to USDA  Animal Care 

from an AWA licensee, registrant, or new applicant to 

reconsider all or part of the content of an inspection 

report. You may appeal content in a regular inspection

report (i.e., routine, focused, or attempted inspection 

types) or a third prelicense inspection report that you 

believe is incorrect, does not consider relevant facts, 

or is inconsistent with the applicable AWA regulations 

or standards.

The appeals process provides an objective and thorough 

way for Animal Care to review any disagreements 

about the content of an inspection report, without fear 

of retaliation on the part of the licensee, registrant, 

or applicant. The process can also lead to a better 

understanding of the AWA and its regulations and 

standards among licensees, registrants, and applicants 

and help promote compliance through information-sharing. 

Appealing an Inspection Report

During an inspection, if a USDA inspector observes 

conditions that are not in compliance with the AWA and 

regulations and standards, the inspector will document 

their observations and professional assessments on an 

inspection report and explain them to you. 

We encourage you to ask your inspector questions 

about the inspection or the content of the report during 

the course of the inspection and/or during the exit 

briefing. If a question involves potential changes to 

the content of the inspection report, the inspector may 

modify the inspection report or leave it as originally 

written, as appropriate.

If you and the inspector are unable to resolve concerns 

about the content of an inspection report, or if you 

decide to appeal all or part of the content of the report, 

you’ll need to submit a detailed, written appeal. Your 

written submission should clearly state the content 

of the inspection report you are appealing and include 

any documentation or other information in support of 

the appeal. 

USDA will review your appeal. The timing requirements 

and review process for regular inspection appeals 

and third prelicense inspection appeals are slightly 

different. See the next page of this document for details 

you need to know.

Inspection Report Appeals Process

Animal Care Tech Note
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender. www.aphis.usda.gov/animal-welfare APHIS 41-35-080 ▪ Revised April 2022 

Regular Inspection Appeals

Timing Requirements

Animal Care must receive your appeal within 21 days 

of you receiving the inspection report. An appeals team 

(Director and/or Assistant Director of Animal Welfare 

Operations, Supervisory Animal Care Specialist, and 

a staff veterinarian or other subject matter expert) will 

review your appeal. If needed, the appeals team may 

request more information from you. 

The team will make every effort to respond to your 

appeal within 30 days, but depending on the nature 

of the appeal, it may take longer than 30 days. In 

their response, the appeals team will notify you of any 

revisions made to the content of the inspection report or 

the reasons why the content of the inspection report was 

not revised.

Recourse for Denied Appeals

Appeal responses for regular inspections are final.

Contact Us

For questions about this process or to file an appeal for 

a regular inspection:

Animal Care

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

U.S. Department of Agriculture

2150 Centre Avenue, Building B, Mailstop #3W11

Fort Collins, CO 80526-8117

(970) 494-7478 

animalcare@usda.gov 

Third Prelicense Inspection Appeals

Timing Requirements

Animal Care must receive your appeal within 7 days of 

you receiving the third prelicense inspection report. The 

Deputy Administrator of Animal Care will review your 

appeal and issue a decision within 7 days of receiving 

the appeal. Only the third prelicense inspection report 

may be appealed.

Recourse for Denied Appeals

For new applicants, appeal decisions are final. 

For current licensees, denied appeals may be eligible 

for a hearing. In this case, you must (1) have applied for 

prelicensing at least 90 days before your current license 

expires, and (2) submit your request for a hearing within 

30 days of receiving notice that your license application 

was denied.

Contact Us

To file an appeal for a third prelicense inspection:

Deputy Administrator, Animal Care

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

U.S. Department of Agriculture

4700 River Road, 6D-03F

Riverdale, MD 20787

animalcareappeals@usda.gov