Bill Text: IL SB0128 | 2025-2026 | 104th General Assembly | Enrolled
Bill Title: Amends the Animal Control Act. In a provision regarding an exemption for rabies inoculation if a licensed veterinarian determines in writing that a rabies inoculation would compromise an animal's health, provides that the determination is valid for one year but may be annually renewed thereafter by a licensed veterinarian.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 3)
Status: (Passed) 2025-08-01 - Public Act . . . . . . . . . 104-0072 [SB0128 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2025-SB0128-Enrolled.html
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| 1 | AN ACT concerning animals.
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| 2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, | ||||||
| 3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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| 4 | Section 5. The Animal Control Act is amended by changing | ||||||
| 5 | Section 8 as follows:
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| 6 | (510 ILCS 5/8) (from Ch. 8, par. 358) | ||||||
| 7 | Sec. 8. Rabies inoculation. | ||||||
| 8 | (a) Every owner of a dog 4 months or more of age shall have | ||||||
| 9 | each dog inoculated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian. | ||||||
| 10 | Every dog shall have a second rabies vaccination within one | ||||||
| 11 | year of the first. Terms of subsequent vaccine administration | ||||||
| 12 | and duration of immunity must be in compliance with USDA | ||||||
| 13 | licenses of vaccines used. | ||||||
| 14 | (b) Every owner of a cat that is a companion animal and is | ||||||
| 15 | 4 months or more of age shall have each cat inoculated against | ||||||
| 16 | rabies by a licensed veterinarian. Every cat that is a | ||||||
| 17 | companion animal shall have a second rabies vaccination within | ||||||
| 18 | one year of the first. Terms of subsequent vaccine | ||||||
| 19 | administration and duration of immunity must be in compliance | ||||||
| 20 | with USDA licenses of vaccines used. This subsection (b) does | ||||||
| 21 | not apply to feral cats; however, if a feral cat is presented | ||||||
| 22 | to a licensed veterinarian for sterilization, the feral cat | ||||||
| 23 | shall be inoculated against rabies, unless the person | ||||||
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| 1 | presenting the feral cat for care provides an inoculation | ||||||
| 2 | certificate showing that the feral cat has been inoculated | ||||||
| 3 | against rabies, and the cost of the inoculation shall be paid | ||||||
| 4 | by the person presenting the feral cat to a licensed | ||||||
| 5 | veterinarian for care. | ||||||
| 6 | (c) A veterinarian immunizing a dog, cat, or ferret | ||||||
| 7 | against rabies shall provide the Administrator of the county | ||||||
| 8 | in which the dog, cat, or ferret resides with a certificate of | ||||||
| 9 | immunization. Evidence of such rabies inoculation shall be | ||||||
| 10 | entered on a certificate the form of which shall be approved by | ||||||
| 11 | the Board and which shall contain the microchip number of the | ||||||
| 12 | dog, cat, or ferret if it has one and which shall be signed by | ||||||
| 13 | the licensed veterinarian administering the vaccine. Only one | ||||||
| 14 | dog, cat, or ferret shall be included on each certificate. | ||||||
| 15 | (d) Veterinarians who inoculate a dog shall procure from | ||||||
| 16 | the County Animal Control in the county where their office is | ||||||
| 17 | located serially numbered tags, one to be issued with each | ||||||
| 18 | inoculation certificate. The Board shall cause a rabies | ||||||
| 19 | inoculation tag to be issued, at a fee established by the Board | ||||||
| 20 | for each dog inoculated against rabies. | ||||||
| 21 | (e) A veterinarian who inoculates a cat that is a | ||||||
| 22 | companion animal shall issue an inoculation certificate to the | ||||||
| 23 | owner which shall comply with any registration requirements | ||||||
| 24 | adopted by the county under Section 3 of this Act. The owner | ||||||
| 25 | shall pay any fee imposed by the county under Section 3 of this | ||||||
| 26 | Act. A veterinarian who inoculates a feral cat shall issue an | ||||||
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| 1 | inoculation certificate to the person who presented the feral | ||||||
| 2 | cat for veterinary care. The registration requirements or any | ||||||
| 3 | fee imposed by the county under Section 3 of this Act shall not | ||||||
| 4 | apply to feral cats. | ||||||
| 5 | (f) Rabies vaccine for use on animals shall be sold or | ||||||
| 6 | distributed only to and used only by licensed veterinarians. | ||||||
| 7 | Such rabies vaccine shall be licensed by the United States | ||||||
| 8 | Department of Agriculture. | ||||||
| 9 | (g) If a licensed veterinarian determines in writing that | ||||||
| 10 | a rabies inoculation would compromise an animal's health, then | ||||||
| 11 | the animal shall be exempt from the rabies inoculation | ||||||
| 12 | requirement for the period described in this subsection; , | ||||||
| 13 | however, the owner is still responsible for the tag fees. A | ||||||
| 14 | determination under this subsection is valid for one year but | ||||||
| 15 | may be annually renewed thereafter by a licensed veterinarian. | ||||||
| 16 | (h) If a bite occurs from an exempt animal, the exempt | ||||||
| 17 | animal shall be treated as an unvaccinated animal. If the | ||||||
| 18 | animal is exempt, the animal shall be re-examined by a | ||||||
| 19 | licensed veterinarian on no less than an annual basis and be | ||||||
| 20 | vaccinated against rabies as soon as the animal's health | ||||||
| 21 | permits. | ||||||
| 22 | (Source: P.A. 101-299, eff. 1-1-20.) | ||||||