1. A. The Department may impose a civil penalty on a shelter that violates the requirements of this chapter or Agriculture Article, §2-1704, Annotated Code of Maryland, which requires shelters to adopt a written protocol for reclaiming animals, up to $500 for each violation.

2. B. Before imposing any civil penalty under this chapter, the Department shall consider the following:

   1. (1) The nature and gravity of each violation;
   2. (2) The willfulness of the violation and the extent to which the existence of the violation was known to the shelter but uncorrected by the shelter; and
   3. (3) A history of prior violations, if any.

3. C. The Department shall issue a written notice of violation to the shelter owner upon finding that a violation has occurred or is ongoing. The written notice of violation shall include:

   1. (1) A statement of the regulation violated by the shelter;
   2. (2) A description of the evidence of a violation;
   3. (3) A statement informing the shelter of the right to an informal meeting with the Department;
   4. (4) The amount of the proposed civil penalty;
   5. (5) A statement of the remedial action necessary to bring the shelter into compliance; and
   6. (6) A reasonable amount of time, as determined by the Department, to correct a violation.
4. D. A shelter may petition the Department for a contested case hearing on a violation and penalty within 30 calendar days of the issuance of the notice of violation by the Department.
5. E. Unless a shelter requests a contested case hearing, the shelter shall promptly pay the penalty. Payment of a penalty is not a substitute for compliance. If the shelter continues to violate this chapter, the Department may impose additional civil penalties.

Authority: Agriculture Article §2-1701 at seq., Annotated Code of Maryland

Effective date: April 23, 2018 (45:8 Md. R. 422)