WeVote
Log In

Bill

JA

Bill

HB 4131

Animals: care and treatment; definition of shelter for animals; modify. Amends sec. 50 of 1931 PA 328 (MCL 750.50).

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Joey Andrews and 29 co-sponsors

HB 4131 tightens Michigan animal-care laws by defining shelter and adequate care, limits dog tethering, tightens transport rules, and strengthens penalties for neglect or cruelty.

bill electronically reproduced 02/26/2025
#animals:careandtreatment #crimes:animals
0
WeVote Research Nonpartisan
Bill Summary · HB 4131

Bill summary — HB 4131 (animals: care and treatment; modify definition of “shelter”)

Status: Introduced (electronically reproduced 02/26/2025); introduced March 10, 2025; referred to Committee on Judiciary. Primary sponsor: Rep. Joseph Aragona (with multiple co-sponsors listed).

Purpose

To update and clarify the Michigan Penal Code’s provisions on animal care and treatment (amending section 50 of 1931 PA 328, MCL 750.50). The bill refines definitions (notably “shelter”), codifies minimum care requirements, tightens rules on tethering and transport, and restates prohibited conduct (neglect/cruelty) to improve legal clarity for enforcement and compliance.

Key provisions / changes

  • Adds and/or revises many defined terms used in the section, including:
    • “Adequate care”: explicitly includes sufficient food, water, shelter, sanitary conditions, exercise, and veterinary attention to maintain an animal in a state of good health.
    • “Shelter”: defined as adequate protection from the elements suitable to age, species, and condition. For livestock this includes structures or natural features; for dogs, specific acceptable shelter options are listed (owner’s residence, compliant doghouse, or an insulated structure that contains an appropriate doghouse).
    • “Sanitary conditions”: space free from health hazards (excessive waste, overcrowding, other conditions endangering health), but excludes customary agricultural/animal husbandry practices.
    • Other definitions: animal, animal control shelter, animal protection shelter, breeder, licensed veterinarian (ties to public health code), neglect, tethering, water, state of good health, person, pet shop, livestock.
  • Sets minimum shelter standards for dogs:
    • Doghouse must be enclosed with roof and floor, appropriately sized, and include dry bedding when outdoor temperature is at or below freezing (examples of acceptable bedding given; blankets/cloths that retain moisture are excluded).
    • Lists types of structures that do and do not qualify as shelter (e.g., excludes cardboard, under‑vehicle spaces, wire- or chain‑link floors, transport crates not designed for housing).
  • Tethering limits:
    • A dog may be tethered only if tether length is at least three times the dog’s length (nose to base of tail) and is attached to a harness or non‑choke collar designed for tethering.
    • Exceptions for temporary tethering during grooming, training, transport, or hunting/events when a shorter tether is necessary for safety.
  • Prohibited acts (owner/possessor/breeder/others with custody must not):
    • Fail to provide adequate care.
    • Cruelly drive, work, beat, or otherwise abuse an animal.
    • Transport animals in cruel or unsafe manners (e.g., feet tied, inadequate space/carrier).
    • Abandon animals without provisions for care (with limited exceptions).
    • Negligently allow aged, diseased, maimed, nonambulatory animals to suffer unnecessary neglect or pain.
  • Transport requirements:
    • Requires secure spaces/crates for animals in transport so animals can stand, turn, and lie down; contains a sled-dog-specific note on stand height.
  • Cross-references and legal alignment:
    • Aligns “licensed veterinarian” definition with the Public Health Code.
    • Maintains that customary farming/husbandry practices are not automatically considered unsanitary under the new definition.

Who is affected

  • Pet owners, breeders, pet shop operators, animal control and protection shelters, transporters of animals, veterinarians, and law enforcement/prosecutors responsible for enforcing cruelty/neglect statutes.
  • Farmers and livestock owners (the bill expressly excludes customary farming/husbandry practices from the sanitary-conditions definition, but livestock have shelter guidance).

Procedural / timeline notes

  • Introduced March 10, 2025; electronically reproduced 02/26/2025; referred to Judiciary Committee for consideration. Next steps would typically include committee hearings, possible amendments, and votes in committee and on the floor.

Potential impacts and enforcement considerations

  • Provides clearer statutory guidance on what constitutes adequate shelter and care, which may improve consistency in enforcement and prosecution of neglect/cruelty cases.
  • The detailed dog‑shelter and tethering rules create specific standards owners must meet; failure to meet them could expose owners to criminal penalties under the Penal Code.
  • Farmers and animal husbandry operations retain some protections (customary practices excluded from “sanitary conditions”), but operators should still review whether practices comply with other parts of the statute.
  • The bill will likely require education for animal owners, shelters, and law enforcement on the new definitions and standards.

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

Sign in to ask a question.