Dog importation: health certificates.

Senator Umberg, working with principal and other coauthors, advances a restructured approach to California’s dog importation regime that shifts regulatory oversight from county health departments to the Department of Food and Agriculture and introduces a new health-certification framework for dogs entering the state. The core change requires that any dog sold, transported, or imported for resale or change of ownership have a health certificate completed by a licensed veterinarian, dated within 10 days of entry, and submitted both to the department and to the buyer. The certificate is designated a public record and the department must retain it for five years.

The health certificate must include a detailed set of items, including the examination date, a statement addressing infectious or communicable disease and recent exposure, a summary of vaccines, treatments, or tests and results, and a rabies vaccination declaration with a 12-month window and prescribed exceptions. Additional required details cover the number of dogs in the shipment, a description of each dog (breed, age, sex), microchip numbers if present, verifiable origin and destination addresses, the veterinarian’s signature and license information, consignor and buyer contact details, and, if applicable, the USDA breeder license number. The certificate may be satisfied by APHIS Form 7001 or another form acceptable to the department if the minimum content is met, and electronic transmission to both the department and the buyer is required. In addition, the prior Health and Safety Code provisions governing dog health certificates are repealed as part of this reform.

The regime creates public-record duties and retention obligations alongside broader enforcement, with violations generally falling under the state’s misdemeanor framework for the Food and Agricultural Code. The act provides that no state reimbursement is required to local agencies, consistent with its administrative provisions, and assigns implementation responsibilities to the Department of Food and Agriculture, including processing and disclosure of certificates under public records law. The bill applies to commercial activities involving sale, transport, or importation for resale or change of ownership, and does not specify applicability to private individuals importing dogs for personal ownership. As drafted, the proposal contemplates regulatory rulemaking and potential fiscal oversight, but it does not specify an explicit effective date or transitional provisions within the text.