An Act To Strengthen Oversight Of Kennels By Changing The Licensing Authority From Municipalities To The Department Of Agriculture, Conservation And Forestry

LD 1771 transfers kennel licensing authority from local municipalities to the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, repealing existing municipal licensing provisions. The bill establishes a new state-level system requiring kennel operators to obtain annual licenses based on dog count (e.g., $50 for 5-10 dogs) and submit annual inspections by municipal animal control officers or humane agents. It sets new license fees and directs 20% of collected fees to the municipality's animal welfare account, with the remainder going to the state Animal Welfare Fund. This change centralizes oversight for all kennels, replacing local licensing with uniform state standards.