Revises provisions relating to animals. (BDR 50-168)

- 83rd Session (2025)
Assembly Bill No. 136–Assemblymember Considine

CHAPTER..........

AN ACT relating to animals; requiring certain persons that allow
interactions between live animals and members of the public
to post a sign with the contact information for the local
animal control authority; providing an administrative penalty;
and providing other matters properly relating thereto.
Legislative Counsel’s Digest:
Existing law: (1) prohibits a person from engaging in cruelty to animals; and
(2) authorizes any person who knows or has reasonable cause to believe that an
animal has been subject to an act of cruelty to rep ort that act to a peace officer, an
officer of a society for the prevention of cruelty to animals that is authorized to
make arrests or an animal control officer. (NRS 574.053, 574.100) This bill
requires the owner or operator of a commercial establishment engaged in the
business of selling access to live animals to interact with members of the public to
post a sign of a certain size at the location in the commercial establishment where
payment is made: (1) notifying the public that if a person believes that an animal is
in danger or has been subjected to an act of animal cruelty, the person may contact
the local animal control authority; and (2) providing the telephone number for such
authority. This bill also: (1) imposes an administrative penalty against an owner or
operator of such a commercial establishment who fails to conspicuously post the
sign; and (2) exempts an accredited institutional member of the Association of Zoos
and Aquariums from the requirement to post such a sign.

EXPLANATION – Matter in bolded italics is new; matter between brackets [omitted material] is material to be omitted.

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN
SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

Section 1. NRS 574.053 is hereby amended to read as follows:
574.053 1. Any person who knows or has reasonable cause to
believe that an animal has been subjected to an act of cruelty in
violation of NRS 574.100 may report the act of cruelty to any:
(a) Peace officer;
(b) Officer of a society for the prevention of cruelty to animals
who is authorized to make arrests pursuant to NRS 574.040; or
(c) Animal control officer.
2. Any person, law enforcement agency, society for the
prevention of cruelty to animals or animal control agency that
willfully releases data or information concerning the identity of a
person who made a report pursuant to subsection 1 , except for the
purposes of a criminal investigation or prosecution, is guilty of a
misdemeanor.
3. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 5, the owner or
operator of a commercial establishment engaged in the business of

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- 83rd Session (2025)
selling access to live animals to interact with the public shall
conspicuously post , at the location in the commercial
establishment where payment is made, a sign that is at least 8 1/2
by 11 inches in size and which contains the following notice in
bold type:

IF YOU KNOW OR HAVE REASON TO BELIEVE
THAT AN ANIMAL IS IN DANGER OR HAS BEEN
SUBJECTED TO AN ACT OF CRUELTY IN VIOLATION
OF NRS 574.100, YOU MAY CONTACT [telephone
number for the local animal control authority].

4. Except as otherwise provided in subsection 5, a n owner or
operator of a commercial establishment engaged in the business of
selling access to live animals to interact with the public who fails
to conspicuously post a sign in the manner required by subsection
3 shall pay an administrative penalty of $100 for each day that the
required sign is not posted.
5. The requirements of subsection 3 do not apply to a facility
which is an accredited institutional member of the Association of
Zoos and Aquariums or its successor.
6. As used in this section , “animal control authority” means
any entity designated by the county or city to enforce local
ordinances or laws of this State relating to the control, shelter or
welfare of animals. The term includes, without limitation, an
animal control agency, a law enforcement agenc y or a society for
the prevention of cruelty to animals in which an officer is
authorized to make arrests pursuant to NRS 574.040.

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