330 CMR 12.01
Definitions
As used in 330 CMR 12.00:
Animal. Any bird, mammal or reptile that may be kept without a permit from the Massachusetts
Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, as provided in 321 CMR 9.01: Exemption List and 321 CMR
9.02: List of Domestic Animals.
Applicant. A Person who has applied for a License or renewal of License from the Department.
Clean(ed) and Disinfect(ed). The process by which bacteria, viruses, or other pathogens are
eliminated from an environment through the physical removal of organic material or debris from
personnel, Facilities, vehicles, and other equipment, followed by the appropriate application of
chemical agents specifically designed to destroy potentially hazardous microorganisms in
accordance with applicable directions.
Department. The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources.
Disclosure Statement. A written statement pertaining to an individual Animal describing all of
its known medical issues.
Facility or Facilities. A location or locations owned, operated, or otherwise used by a Licensee
for receiving, maintaining, caring for, and transporting Animals for the purpose of Selling or
Offering for Sale such Animals.
Health Certificate. A document dated and signed by a Veterinarian certifying that an Animal is
free of any symptoms of infectious or contagious disease.
Impervious. A non-porous, impermeable surface through which a liquid will not be allowed to
pass but upon which water will bead.
Individual Animal Record. A comprehensive record relating to an individual Animal that
includes, where applicable, a history of vaccinations, history of all medical treatment including
administered medications, source of animal, name and address of purchaser, Official
Identification, date of sale, mortality record, and such other records as may be appropriate.
Isolation Room. A location approved by the Department designed to serve as a receiving and
holding station for Animals prior to Sale or Offer for Sale. An Isolation Room may be used as
a Quarantine Room for Animals that are potentially affected with or exposed to contagious or
infectious illnesses.
License. Revocable permission to operate a Pet Shop in the Commonwealth and to Sell or Offer
for Sale Animals from such Pet Shop. Licenses shall be issued as Class A, B, or C. Any use of
the term License shall apply to all classes of Licenses issued under 330 CMR 12.00, unless
otherwise indicated.
(Mass. Register #1412 3/6/20)
Licensee. A Person who has received a Class A, B, or C License from the Department.
OCVI. An Official Certificate of Veterinary Inspection form issued by a USDA Accredited
Veterinarian in the state of origin and approved by an animal health official of the state of origin
listing all Animals (with an accurate description or Official Identification) covered by the
certificate that have been examined by the person issuing the form, stating the nature of the
examination and the findings of the health of the Animals covered by the certificate, and
containing the names and addresses of the consignor and the consignee of the Animals, the
vaccinations that the Animals may have received, and the dates that the vaccinations occurred.
An OCVI shall include an Interstate Certificate of Veterinary Inspection.
Official Identification. A device or method used as a means of identifying an individual Animal
appropriate for that species, including, but not limited to, microchip, labeled collar, or other
means of distinction affixed to the Animal. For rabbits, reptiles, rodents and small birds, if no
identification is affixed, a detailed description of the animal and the group with which it arrived
attached to the enclosure will suffice.
Person. An individual, trust, firm, joint stock company, corporation, partnership, association,
cooperative, or other business organization and any officer, employee, representative, or agent
thereof.
Pet Shop. A place or premises where Animals are kept for the purpose of either wholesale or
retail sale, import, export, barter, exchange, or gift. For the purposes of 330 CMR 12.00, entities
licensed by the Department as a Rescue Organization under 330 CMR 30.00: Animal Rescue
and Shelter Organization Regulations shall not be deemed a Pet Shop. To the extent a Pet Shop
engages in import or export activities other than obtaining Animals from a breeder or broker for
payment or compensation, or otherwise acts as a Rescue Organization as defined in 330 CMR
30.02: Definitions, it shall comply with all applicable provisions of 330 CMR 30.00.
Primary Housing Enclosure. The cage, crate, or any area within a Facility in which a confined
Animal is kept.
Quarantine. The confinement of an Animal, whether or not by order of the Department pursuant
to M.G.L. c. 129, § 21, to prohibit other animal contact by restricting the Animal to an Isolation
or Quarantine Room for the purposes of:
(a) observing if the Animal displays signs of contagious or infectious illness; and
(b) minimizing the risk of the Animal spreading such contagious or infectious illness to
humans and other animals.
Quarantine Room. A location designed to serve as a receiving and holding station for Animals
that are subject to Quarantine.
Sanitary Condition(s). The state of Facilities, Primary Housing Enclosures, and associated
equipment having been Cleaned and Disinfected as often as necessary to be free of, at a
minimum, urine, feces, and noxious odors.
Sale, Sell, Sold or Offer for Sale. To sell, barter, exchange, give away, or otherwise confer
ownership of an Animal to a Person other than the Licensee, or to display or have within view
of the public an Animal in a Pet Shop or otherwise make known that an Animal is available for
such transactions.
Taxonomic Derivation. The Latin nomenclature for the genus and species.
Veterinarian. A veterinarian licensed and in good standing in the state where the Veterinarian
is doing business.
Zoonotic Disease. An infectious disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans or from
humans to animals.