{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-4-4-703","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 4, § 4-703","heading":"Holding periods","body":"A. Disaster animals taken from a disaster area or delivered to\n\nan animal shelter following a Class #1 Event or Class #2 Event shall\n\nbe kept by the animal shelter that receives the disaster animals\n\naccording to the applicable holding period, unless the owner of the\n\ndisaster animals agrees otherwise in writing. After the applicable\n\nholding period has passed for disaster animals, the animal shelter\n\nhas the authority to dispose of the disaster animals as allowed\n\nunder state law when there is no Class #1 Event or Class #2 Event,\n\nunless the owner has an extension by contract with the animal\n\nshelter for additional time. An owner who does not retake\n\npossession of their disaster animals by the end of the applicable\n\nholding period plus any extension by contract thereof has abandoned\n\nthe disaster animals, and any new owner shall have unencumbered\n\ntitle to the disaster animals.\n\nB. Holding periods:\n\n1. Class #1 Event: Disaster animals brought in to an animal\n\nshelter shall be kept by the animal shelter for a minimum of thirty\n\n(30) days;\n\n2. Class #2 Event: Disaster animals brought to an animal\n\nshelter shall be kept for a minimum of thirty (30) days up to ninety\n\n(90) days as determined by the State Veterinarian after photograph\n\nand tracking information about the disaster animals sufficient to\n\ngive notice to owners is posted on an approved website. The holding\n\nperiod for the animal shelter shall be six (6) months if posting on\n\nan approved website does not occur. This requirement may be\n\nmodified by the State Veterinarian or as otherwise determined by the\n\nState Veterinarian;\n\n3. During the holding period, the animal shelter is fully\n\nauthorized to provide or arrange for necessary veterinary health\n\nservices that are in the best interests of the disaster animals as\n\nmay be determined by a veterinarian, up to and including humane\n\neuthanasia. A disaster animal that exhibits ownership by the\n\npresence of a tag or identification chip or was removed from a\n\nprivate residence, including fenced adjacent land, may not be spayed\n\nor neutered without the written permission of the owner unless it is\n\nmedically necessary as may be determined by a veterinarian;\n\n4. During the holding period, an animal shelter may place a\n\ndisaster animal in a private home or other animal shelter either in\n\nthe state or out of the state so long as available tracking\n\ninformation is kept and any transfer out of state is authorized by\n\nthe State Veterinarian. In no case shall title to a disaster animal\n\nbe awarded to a new owner until after the holding period has\n\nexpired, together with any extension by contract thereof;\n\n5. If an owner of a disaster animal contacts an animal shelter\n\nabout disaster animals but is unable to assume possession of the\n\ndisaster animal by the end of the applicable holding period, the\n\nowner may request the animal shelter to keep the disaster animal for\n\nup to an additional thirty (30) days, if the owner is willing to pay\n\nthe cost of care as established by the animal shelter for the\n\ndisaster animal during an extension by contract. The animal shelter\n\nmay require payment of the costs as a condition of extending the\n\nholding period. If by the end of the extension by contract the\n\ndisaster animal has not been reclaimed by the owner, the animal\n\nshelter may treat the holding period as expired. The animal shelter\n\nshall advise an owner of the dates of the required holding period\n\nand opportunity for extensions by contract, if any owner inquiry is\n\nmade;\n\n6. If an animal shelter becomes inoperative because of a Class\n\n#1 Event or Class #2 Event, all the companion animals removed from\n\nthe animal shelter shall be treated as disaster animals by whoever\n\ntakes control of the companion animals, unless records that\n\naccompany the shelter animals demonstrate that it was lawfully\nand opportunity for extensions by contract, if any owner inquiry is\n\nmade;\n\n6. If an animal shelter becomes inoperative because of a Class\n\n#1 Event or Class #2 Event, all the companion animals removed from\n\nthe animal shelter shall be treated as disaster animals by whoever\n\ntakes control of the companion animals, unless records that\n\naccompany the shelter animals demonstrate that it was lawfully\n\npermissible to transfer title to the shelter animals before a Class\n\n#1 Event or Class #2 Event. If these records are available, then\n\nthe shelter animals shall not be treated as disaster animals;\n\n7. If an owner of a disaster animal has contacted the animal\n\nshelter responsible for the owner's disaster animal before the end\n\nof the holding period to reclaim the disaster animal, but the animal\n\nshelter or other possessor of the disaster animal refuses to return\n\nthe disaster animal, any transfer of title agreement by the animal\n\nshelter to a new owner is voidable by court order; and\n\n8. Prior to the scheduling of any adoption event for the\n\nadoption of unclaimed disaster animals from a Class #1 Event or\n\nClass #2 Event, the animal shelter shall notify the State\n\nVeterinarian and request approval of the adoption event. Any\n\ntransfer of title agreement by the animal shelter to a new owner is\n\nvoidable by court order if the adoption event is not approved by the\n\nState Veterinarian.","path":["OK Code","Title 4"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os4.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"2e45c6068f404b2f170ac292c6b652635a2a675b104415220a76bf42b6a15ba7","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-4-4-702","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-4-4-704"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}