{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-436.605","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 436.605","heading":"Animal control officers and humane agents have powers of peace officers,","body":"except power of arrest -- Search warrants -- Execution of search warrants --\nArrest by peace officer.\n(1) Animal control officers and officers and agents of humane societi es who are\nemployed by, appointed by, or have contracted with a city, county, urban -county,\ncharter county, or consolidated local government to provide animal sheltering or\nanimal control services shall have the powers of peace officers, except for the\npower of arrest, for the purpose of enforcing the provisions of the Kentucky Revised\nStatutes relating to cruelty, mistreatment, sexual crimes against, or torture of\nanimals, provided they possess the qualifications required under KRS 61.300.\n(2) When any pea ce officer, animal control officer, or any officer or agent of any\nsociety or association for the prevention of cruelty to animals duly incorporated\nunder the laws of this Commonwealth who is employed by, appointed by, or has\ncontracted with a city, county , urban-county, charter county, or consolidated local\ngovernment to provide animal sheltering or animal control services makes an oath\nbefore any judge of a District Court that he has reasons to believe or does believe\nthat an act of cruelty, mistreatment,  sexual crimes against, or torture of animals is\nbeing committed in a building, barn, or other enclosure, the judge shall issue a\nsearch warrant directed to the peace officer, animal control officer, or officer or\nagent of the society or association for th e prevention of cruelty to animals to search\nthe premises. If a peace officer finds that an act of cruelty, mistreatment, sexual\ncrimes against, or torture of animals is being perpetrated, the offender or offenders\nshall be immediately arrested by the peac e officer and brought before the court for\ntrial. If an animal control officer or an officer or agent of a society or association for\nthe prevention of cruelty to animals finds that an act of cruelty, mistreatment, sexual\ncrimes against, or torture of anim als is being perpetrated, the officer or agent shall\nsummon a peace officer to arrest the offender or offenders and bring them before\nthe court for trial.","path":["KRS Chapter 436"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=49354","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:59:51Z","sha256":"8a996f8ed51ef53737e655555a3918902e4e7df882dd64d3577c9b4a1228e946","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-436.600","next":"us-ky/krs-436.610"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}