Code of Massachusetts Regulations
330 CMR - DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURAL RESOURCES
Title 330 CMR 30.00 - Animal Rescue And Shelter Organization Regulations
Section 30.05 - Facility Requirements

Universal Citation: 330 MA Code of Regs 330.30

Current through Register 1531, September 27, 2024

(1) General Facilities. For buildings and premises that are utilized as a Facility, each Licensee shall:

(a) Maintain all buildings and premises in good repair and in a Sanitary Condition;

(b) Maintain and use equipment in a manner which ensures the proper and legal storage and disposal of wastes or disease-contaminated material including, but not limited to, medical supplies, syringes, needles, and sharps containers;

(c) Take and maintain effective control measures to prevent the spread of disease, noxious odors, and the infestation of Animals and premises with external parasites, insects, or vermin;

(d) Provide and maintain artificial illumination in all areas and rooms in which Animals are kept. The artificial illumination shall be well distributed and adequate to provide efficient inspection and cleaning of Facilities, enclosures, cages and Animals. Each cage and enclosure in use shall be situated in a manner that protects the Animals contained from excessive or stressful illumination;

(e) To the extent feasible, natural illumination should be utilized during daylight hours in all areas and rooms where Animals are kept. Artificial illumination must be available during non-daylight hours; and

(f) Make a freezer or other means of mechanical or non-mechanical refrigeration available at the Facility for the temporary storage of deceased Animals, unless an arrangement has been made with another entity capable of appropriately storing and disposing of deceased Animals. Any such arrangement with another entity shall be made in writing and kept as part of the Organization's operations plan.

(2) Quarantine Room. In addition to complying with 330 CMR 30.05(1), each Facility shall:

(a) Provide a room to be used exclusively for the purposes of Quarantining sick or diseased Animals; and

(b) Ensure that the room, in addition to complying with the requirements of 330 CMR 30.05(1) and (5), is:
1. Physically separated from rooms used to maintain other Animals;

2. Completely enclosed by walls that extend from floor to ceiling;

3. Constructed with floors and walls made of Impervious surfaces;

4. Equipped with an exhaust fan that serves to efficiently remove air from the room to an area outside the building and adequately ventilates to allow fresh air to circulate into the room;

5. Equipped with a sink having hot and cold running water used exclusively for the cleaning and maintenance of the Quarantine Room, all equipment and utensils used therein, and Animals housed within the room;

6. Not used to house or maintain other Animals, for storage, as an employee restroom, as a public access area, or any other such purpose;

7. Thoroughly Cleaned and Disinfected immediately after Animals have been removed from the room and prior to the placement of other Animals into the room; and

8. Maintained in such a manner that all equipment and utensils used within the room are thoroughly Cleaned and Disinfected before being taken out of the room.

(3) Isolation Room. In addition to providing a Quarantine Room as required by 330 CMR 30.05(2), each Licensee holding an Import License shall:

(a) Provide an Isolation Room for the exclusive purpose of isolating newly acquired Dogs and Cats;

(b) Ensure that the Isolation Room complies with the requirements of 330 CMR 30.05(1), (2)(b), and (5);

(c) Ensure that Quarantined sick or diseased Animals and Isolated newly-acquired Dogs and Cats are not maintained in the same Quarantine/Isolation Room simultaneously; and

(d) If maintaining the Isolation Room for Isolation Upon Import, provide a separate entrance through which the Imported Dog or Cat can enter without passing through any area where other Animals are housed, handled, or cared for.

(4) Protective Clothing for Quarantine and Isolation Rooms. Each Licensee shall ensure that each person who enters a Quarantine or an Isolation Room or otherwise feeds, waters, cleans, treats, or handles Quarantined or Isolated Animals showing signs of infectious or contagious disease or disease-contaminated equipment or material shall wear clean protective outerwear, gloves and shoe covers, or take equivalent biosecurity measures while so doing, and shall remove and adequately clean or dispose of the protective outerwear, gloves, and shoe covers, or equivalent, and thoroughly wash their hands with soap and water immediately upon leaving such room.

(5) Animal Facilities. Each Animal housing area within a Facility shall be:

(a) Cleaned at least daily and more often as necessary to maintain Sanitary Conditions. Enclosures shall be disinfected periodically and as soon as practicable once emptied. Group housing rooms shall be emptied and disinfected periodically. Cages and enclosures shall be unoccupied during disinfecting. The use of chemical agents to disinfect shall be in accordance with the chemical manufacturer's label, with particular attention paid to temperatures and contact time;

(b) Of adequate size and space to permit:
1. The Animal(s) therein to stand, sit, lie down, turn around and make other normal postural adjustments without obstruction, interference or impediment by the presence of food and water bowls, equipment, beds, toys, or other Animals; and

2. The bird(s) within to fly, hop or otherwise move about and individually spread their wings. Enough perch space must be available for all birds within the enclosure to simultaneously perch in a normal position without obstruction;

(c) Equipped with heating, cooling and ventilation to maintain adequate ambient conditions appropriate for the species and necessary to minimize odor, ammonia levels, disease transmission risk, and unnecessary stress on the Animals due to uncomfortable temperatures or environmental conditions. Ambient temperature shall be between 55 °F and 85 °F, unless other temperatures have been determined to be appropriate based on an information source approved by the Department. To ensure that these conditions are met, the Licensee shall install and maintain a working thermometer in all areas in which Animals are maintained and cared for;

(d) Constructed and maintained in accordance with the following provisions:
1. Each wall shall be Impervious to moisture from floor to ceiling;

2. Each floor shall be Impervious to moisture and no carpeted flooring may be permitted in Animal areas;

3. Any material used shall be resistant to rusting, and be maintained free of rust;

4. Animal cages or enclosures equipped with a wire floor shall be prohibited for Dogs and Cats. For other species, if the cage or enclosure has a wire floor, then the wire used shall be of adequate gauge to prevent sagging or injury to an Animal's feet, and the mesh shall be small enough to prevent an Animal's feet from falling through the bottom;

5. Primary Housing Enclosures for livestock and poultry may be exempt from 330 CMR 30.05(5)(c) and (d);

(e) Designed to permit the unimpeded access of the Animal(s) to clean, fresh food and water;

(f) Adequate to provide shelter from the sun and inclement weather when Animals are outside; and

(g) Maintained at a comfortable noise level. Under normal circumstances the noise level shall not be at or above 100 dB for a sustained period of 15 minutes or longer.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Massachusetts may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.