Iowa Administrative Code › Agency 21 - Agriculture and Land Stewardship Department › Chapter 67 - Animal Welfare › Rule 21-67.3 - Housing Facilities and Primary Enclosures

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 3, July 24, 2024
(1)
Housing facilities.
a. Buildings shall be of adequate structure
			 and maintained in good repair so as to ensure protection of animals from
			 injury.
b. Shelter shall be
			 provided to allow access to shade from direct sunlight and regress from
			 exposure to wind, rain or snow. Heat, insulation, or clean and dry bedding
			 adequate to provide comfort shall be provided when the atmospheric temperature
			 is below 50°F or the temperature to which the particular animals are
			 acclimated. Indoor housing facilities shall be provided for dogs and cats under
			 the age of eight weeks and for dogs and cats within two weeks of whelping. Dogs
			 and cats that are not acclimated to the temperatures prevalent in the area or
			 region where they are kept and sick, aged, young or infirm dogs and cats cannot
			 be housed in outdoor facilities.
c.
			 Temperature.
(1) Indoor housing facilities for
			 dogs and cats must be capable of controlling the temperature in the housing
			 facility and sufficiently heated and cooled when necessary to protect dogs and
			 cats from temperature or humidity extremes and to provide for their
			 well-being.
(2) When dogs and cats
			 are present, the ambient temperature in the indoor housing facility cannot fall
			 below 50°F for dogs and cats not acclimated to lower temperatures, for
			 breeds that cannot tolerate lower temperatures without stress or discomfort,
			 and for sick, aged, young or infirm dogs and cats except as approved by the
			 attending veterinarian. Heat, insulation, clean and dry bedding or other
			 methods of conserving body heat that are adequate to provide comfort shall be
			 provided when the atmospheric temperature is below 50°F. The ambient
			 temperature must not fall below 45°F or rise above 85°F for more than
			 four consecutive hours when dogs or cats are present.
d. Ventilation. Indoor and outdoor housing
			 facilities shall at all times be provided with ventilation by means of doors,
			 windows, vents, air conditioning or direct flow of fresh air that is adequate
			 to provide for the good health and comfort of the animals. Such ventilation
			 shall be environmentally provided so as to maintain adequate temperature and
			 minimize drafts, moisture condensation, odors or stagnant vapors of excreta.
			 Auxiliary ventilation, such as fans, blowers or air conditioning, must be
			 provided when the ambient temperature is above 85°F. Relative humidity must
			 be maintained at a level that ensures the health and well-being of the animals
			 housed in the housing facility. Indoor housing facilities must be capable of
			 the following:
(1) Maintaining humidity
			 levels between 30 percent and 70 percent; and
(2) Rapidly eliminating odors from within the
			 building.
e. Adequate
			 lighting shall be provided by natural or artificial means, or both, during
			 sunrise to sunset hours to allow efficient cleaning of the facilities and
			 routine inspection of the facilities and animals contained therein.
f. Ceilings, walls and floors shall be
			 constructed so as to lend themselves to efficient cleaning and sanitizing. Such
			 surfaces shall be kept in good repair and maintained so that they are
			 substantially impervious to moisture. Floors and walls to a height of four feet
			 shall have finished surfaces. No sharp or jagged edges may be present that may
			 injure an animal. Animal contact surfaces must be free of excessive rust that
			 prevents required cleaning and sanitizing or that affects the structural
			 strength of the surface or that may be detrimental to the health of the
			 animal.
g. Food supplies and
			 bedding materials shall be stored so as to adequately protect them from
			 contamination or infestation by vermin or other factors which would render the
			 food or bedding unclean. Separate storage facilities shall be used to store
			 cleaning and sanitizing equipment and supplies.
h. Washrooms, basins or sinks for maintaining
			 cleanliness among animal caretakers and the sanitizing of food and water
			 utensils shall be provided within or be readily accessible to each housing
			 facility.
i. Equipment shall be
			 available for removal and disposal of all waste materials from housing
			 facilities to minimize vermin infestation, odors and disease hazards. Drainage
			 systems shall be functional to effect the above purposes.
j. Group housing is permitted for animals
			 that are compatible with one another, except as otherwise stated herein.
			 Adequate space shall be provided to prevent crowding and to allow freedom of
			 movement and comfort to animals of the size which are housed in the facility.
			 Females in estrus shall not be housed with males except for breeding
			 purposes.
k. Facilities shall be
			 provided to isolate diseased animals and to prevent exposure to healthy
			 animals.
l. Outdoor dog runs and
			 exercise areas shall be of sound construction and kept in good repair so as to
			 safely contain the animal(s) therein without injury. Floors shall be concrete,
			 gravel or materials which can be regularly cleaned and kept free of waste
			 accumulation. Grass runs and exercise areas are permissible provided that
			 adequate ground cover is maintained, holes are kept filled and the ground cover
			 is not allowed to become overgrown. Dog runs and exercise areas utilizing wire
			 floors are permissible provided that the wire floors are not injurious to the
			 animals and are adequately maintained. Wire flooring cannot cause injury to any
			 animal contained in a dog run or exercise area that has wire flooring and must:
(1) Have a solid resting surface of adequate
			 size for an animal to lay on its side;
(2) Be in good repair, free of excessive rust
			 that prevents required cleaning and sanitizing or that affects the structural
			 strength of the surface or that may be detrimental to the health of the
			 animal;
(3) Be free of jagged or
			 sharp edges, and constructed so as to lend itself to efficient cleaning and
			 sanitizing; and
(4) Be of a gauge
			 and construction to prevent bending and sagging and to prevent physical harm to
			 an animal or entrapment of the feet of an animal housed within the primary
			 enclosure.
m. Housing
			 facilities and areas used for storage of food or bedding must be free of trash,
			 garbage, waste, weeds, debris and other materials potentially harmful to
			 animals.
n. Animal areas must be
			 kept clean, neat, and free of clutter.
o. The department may limit the number of
			 animals allowed in any housing facility based on, but not limited to, the
			 number of available primary enclosures, the animal care space available within
			 a facility, or lack of available personnel to care for the animals.