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LD 1771

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

132nd Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Poppy Arford and 6 co-sponsors

The bill shifts kennel licensing to the state, establishes a tiered fee system, and directs 80% of revenue to the Animal Welfare Fund with 20% to municipalities.

Became Law without Governor's Signature
#animals #dogs #kennels
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Bill Summary · LD 1771

Summary — LD 1771

Title: An Act To Strengthen Oversight Of Kennels By Changing The Licensing Authority From Municipalities To The Department Of Agriculture, Conservation And Forestry
Status: Became law without the Governor’s signature (June 22, 2025)
Introduced: April 24, 2025
Subjects: Animals — Dogs, Kennels

Purpose

LD 1771 centralizes kennel licensing authority at the State level by moving the licensing function from municipalities to the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry (ACF). The stated intent is to strengthen oversight of kennels by creating a consistent, statewide licensing and fee structure.

Key provisions

  • Transfers authority to issue kennel licenses from municipalities to the ACF.
  • Establishes a tiered fee structure for kennel licenses based on the number of dogs per kennel (specific tier amounts / thresholds not included in provided documents).
  • Directs that 20% of revenue collected from kennel licensing be distributed to municipalities and that the remaining 80% be deposited into the Animal Welfare Fund.
  • Increases fees on existing facility licenses (details of the increases not provided in the summary documents).
  • Provides a corresponding allocation to allow ACF to expend the additional revenue it collects.

Who is affected

  • Kennel operators: will obtain licenses from ACF rather than municipal authorities and will be subject to the new tiered fee structure and any state licensing requirements enacted under ACF authority.
  • Municipal governments: will no longer be the primary licensing authority but will receive 20% of kennel licensing revenue.
  • ACF: gains licensing and administrative responsibility for kennels and will receive the majority share of revenue (80%) for deposit into the Animal Welfare Fund.
  • Animal Welfare Fund: will receive increased ongoing funding from ACF-collected license revenue.

Fiscal impact

  • Final fiscal notes project additional Other Special Revenue Fund revenue of $21,577 annually beginning in FY 2025–26 (and continuing in projections for FY 2026–27 onward) resulting from fee increases on existing facility licenses.
  • The bill includes a corresponding appropriation/authorization to allow ACF to spend the additional revenue.
  • Because total revenue depends on the number and size of licensed kennels, exact long-term revenue beyond the estimate is uncertain.
  • (An earlier fiscal note attached to an amendment indicated “No state fiscal impact”; the enacted version’s fiscal notes show the $21,577 projection.)

Legislative history / timeline (selected)

  • 2025-04-24: Referred to Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry.
  • 2025-05-13: Committee work session; divided report.
  • June 2–4, 2025: Committee and floor amendments considered and adopted (Committee Amendment “A” S‑220; House Amendment “A” H‑488 to S‑220).
  • 2025-06-09: Passed to be enacted; sent for concurrence.
  • 2025-06-22: Became law without the Governor’s signature.

Notes

  • The provided documents do not include the text of the tier thresholds or exact fee amounts; for operational details (licensing procedures, inspection authority, compliance timelines) consult the enacted bill text and ACF rulemaking or guidance implementing the statute.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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