GENESEO, N.Y., Jan. 16, 2026 — The Livingston County Board of Supervisors has introduced a local law establishing an animal abuser registry.
INTRODUCTION OF LOCAL LAW
LIVINGSTON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
LOCAL LAW NO. A-2026 ESTABLISHING AN ANIMAL ABUSER REGISTRY
Be it enacted by the Livingston County Board of Supervisors as follows:
SECTION 1. PURPOSE AND INTENT.
The State of New York has criminalized the cruel treatment of animals. However, animal abuse and cruelty continues to occur in Livingston County and throughout New York State. Requiring animal abusers to register with their law enforcement agency will provide members of the community, particularly animal shelters, farms, pet sellers, and any other person or entity involved in the exchange of animals by adoption, sale or other means, with the identities of convicted animal abusers. The registry will also warn potential employers that may be looking to hire an individual to work closely with animals in pet shops, farms, shelters, or veterinary offices.
The Livingston County Board of Supervisors hereby finds that it is in the best interest of the residents of Livingston County and their animals that an online registry be established identifying individuals residing in Livingston County who have been convicted of animal abuse crimes in order to prevent these individuals from adopting, purchasing or otherwise obtaining animals.
SECTION 2. DEFINITIONS.
As used in this Local Law, the following terms have the meanings indicated:
"Animal Abuse Crime" - Any of the following crimes listed in subsections (a) through (e):
a) A violation of any of the following provisions of the NYS Agriculture Markets Law (AML Article 26):
Section 351 - Prohibition of animal fighting
Section 353 - Overdriving, torturing and injuring animals; failure to provide proper sustenance
Section 353-a - Aggravated cruelty to animals
Section 355 - Abandonment of animals
Section 356 - Failure to provide proper food and drink to impounded animal
Section 359 - Carrying animal in a cruel manner
Section 360 - Poisoning or attempting to poison animals
Section 361 - Interference with or injury to certain domestic animals
Section 362 - Throwing substance injurious to animals in public place
Section 365 - Clipping or cutting the ears of dogs
Section 366 - Companion animal stealing
Section 366-a - Removing, seizing or transporting dogs for research purposes
b) Sexual misconduct with an animal in violation of NYS Penal Law (PL) §130.20(3)
c) Harming a service animal in violation of PL §242.10 and PL §242.15
d) Killing or injuring a police animal in violation of PL §195.06
e) Harming an animal trained to aid a person with a disability in violation of PL §195.12
f) Any conviction based upon a reduced charge when the original offense was a charge listed above. Satisfaction of such charge must include at least a plea of guilty to the violation of the provisions of one of the subdivisions of this section.
"Animal" - Any living mammal (except a human being), bird, reptile, amphibian or fish.
"Animal Abuse Offender" - Any person eighteen (18) years of age or older, convicted of an Animal Abuse Crime, except youthful offenders with convictions contained within sealed records.
"Animal Abuser Registry'' - The online registry established by this Local Law for registering any person residing in Livingston County convicted of an Animal Abuse Crime.
"Animal Shelter" - Any organization which maintains buildings, structures or other property for the purpose of harboring animals which may be stray, unwanted, lost, abandoned or abused and seeks to find appropriate temporary or permanent homes for such Animals, including, but not limited to, any duly incorporated humane society, pound, animal protective association or animal rescue group.
“Companion Animal or Pet”- Any dog, cat, or other domesticated animal normally maintained in or near the household of the owner or person who cares for such domesticated animal. It does not include a Farm Animal.
"Conviction" - An adjudication of guilt by any court of competent jurisdiction, whether upon a verdict after trial, upon a plea of guilty, or an Alford Plea.
"Farm" - A business engaged in a farming operation as defined by AML §301(11).
“Farm Animal”- A hoofed mammal, poultry, species of cattle, sheep, swine, goat, llama, horse or fur bearing animal, as defined in Environmental Conservation Law §11-1907, which are raised for commercial or subsistence purposes. Fur bearing animals shall not include dogs or cats.
"Pet Seller" - Any individual, person, partnership, firm, corporation, or other entity which routinely offers animals for sale or is otherwise routinely engaged in the business of selling, exchanging or otherwise transferring ownership of animals.
“Service Animal”- Any animal that has been partnered with a person who has a disability, as defined in Executive Law §292(21)), and has been trained or is being trained by a qualified person to aid or guide a person with a disability.
SECTION 3. ESTABLISHING AN ANIMAL ABUSER REGISTRY.
The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office, or its designee, is hereby directed to create, manage, and maintain an Animal Abuser Registry containing the names and residence information of registered Animal Abuse Offenders living in Livingston County who are hereby prohibited from owning animals.
a) The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office shall have a link to the Animal Abuser Registry on the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office webpage, together with the links to other County Animal Abuser registries that are available in the State of New York. Such other County Animal Abuser registries may be used as informational resources by Animal Shelters, Farms, and Pet Sellers.
b) The Animal Abuser Registry shall contain the required information about each Animal Abuse Offender, as outlined in Section 4(c) below, for fifteen (15) years following his or her release from incarceration or, if not incarcerated, from the date of the judgement of conviction.
c) Any currently or previously registered Animal Abuse Offender convicted of a subsequent Animal Abuse Crime shall be placed on the Animal Abuser Registry for life following the second conviction. These Convictions are not limited to Convictions within Livingston County, but extend to other counties who also maintain an Animal Abuser Registry.
d) Upon notification to the Livingston County Sheriffs Office of a successful appeal of a Conviction of an Animal Abuse Crime by an individual that has been required to register pursuant to this Local Law, the registration information for that individual shall be removed from the Livingston County Animal Abuser Registry within five (5) business days following the notification.
e) The Animal Abuser Registry shall be used for the limited purpose of determining whether such Animal Abuse Offender is prohibited from owning an animal under this Local Law.
f) The provisions of AML §42 shall not apply as it relates to this Local Law. In the event a person acting for or employed by a Farm owner, association or corporation is placed on the Animal Abuser Registry, the prohibition of ownership of animals shall not extend to the Farm owner, association or corporation for which such person is employed, nor shall it extend to common owners of a Farm in the event one owner is adjudicated to be an Animal Abuse Offender and required to register with the Animal Abuser Registry.
SECTION 4. REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS.
a) When a person is convicted of an Animal Abuse Crime in any court within Livingston County, the Livingston County District Attorney shall forward to the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office the name and address of the convicted person along with the specific Animal Abuse Crime of which such person was convicted, thereby notifying the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office that the person is an Animal Abuse Offender and required to register with the Animal Abuser Registry.
b) All Animal Abuse Offenders must register with the Animal Abuser Registry within five (5) business days of their release from incarceration or, if not incarcerated, from the date of the Conviction.
c) Animal Abuse Offenders shall submit to the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office, the following:
i. Their name and any other name by which they may be known;
ii. Their residential address;
iii. Their date of birth; and
iv. A description of the offense for which they were convicted, the date of Conviction, and the sentence imposed.
d) The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office shall photograph the front of the Animal Abuse Offender's head and shoulders. This photograph will be on the website with the above information. Said photograph is not to be altered by computer software or any application and shall be at least two (2) inches by three (3) inches in size.
e) The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office shall update Animal Abuse Offender information on the Animal Abuser Registry when new Convictions are made within Livingston County and/or when updates to the Registry are provided by Animal Abuse Offenders, and may provide a press release regarding the same and make it available to other law enforcement entities within New York State, including Animal Control Agencies, and Animal Shelters, Pet Sellers, animal-welfare organizations, and other groups involved in animal adoption and the sale of animals.
f) Every Animal Abuse Offender shall update their Registry information within five (5) business days of any change of residence address and/or upon any official change of name. The obligation to provide such updates continues throughout the entire period in which such person is required to be registered.
g) Every Animal Abuse Offender shall pay an initial fee of one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) to the Livingston County Sheriff’s Office at the time of registration. All such fees shall be used to help pay administrative and maintenance costs of maintaining the Registry. Updates to the Animal Abuser Registry are made at no additional fee.
SECTION 5. EXAMINATION OF REGISTRY.
Prior to the sale, exchange or other transfer of ownership of any Animal, any Animal Shelter, Pet Seller or other person or entity involved in transferring ownership of Animals is encouraged to examine the Livingston County Animal Abuser Registry, as well as any other applicable County Animal Abuser Registry to confirm the name of the potential owner of the Animal is not listed as an Animal Abuse Offender. The Livingston County Sheriff’s Office may be contacted to confirm a potential owner's identity.
SECTION 6. PENALTIES.
a) Any Animal Abuse Offender required to register with the Animal Abuser Registry who fails to register shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor punishable by incarceration for a period of not more than one (1) year and/or a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000.00).
b) Any Animal Abuse Offender who violates a prohibition against owning an Animal shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor punishable by incarceration for a period of not more than one (1) year and/or a fee not to exceed five thousand dollars ($5,000.00).
i) It shall not be a violation of this Local Law if an Animal Abuse Offender owns an animal used as a Service Animal, either utilized by themselves or by another person residing at the same address as the registered Animal Abuse Offender.
ii) It shall be a violation of this Local Law if an Animal Abuse Offender allows the ownership or maintenance of an Animal at their residence with the ownership of the Animal being in the name of a family member or other person residing at the same address as the registered Animal Abuse Offender.
c) Any fines collected shall be used by Livingston County towards the care and upkeep of Animals through the Livingston County Humane Society or as otherwise determined by the Livingston County Board of Supervisors.
SECTION 7. RULES AND REGULATION.
The Livingston County Sheriff, or his/her designee, is hereby authorized and empowered to take such steps as may be reasonably necessary to implement this Local Law.
SECTION 8. SEVERABILITY.
If any clause, sentence, paragraph, section, subdivision or other part of this Local Law or its applications shall be adjudged by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalidated or unconstitutional, such order or judgment shall not affect, impair, or otherwise invalidate the remainder of this Local Law which shall remain is full force and effect.
SECTION 9. EFFECTIVE DATE.
This Local Law shall apply to those Animal Abuse Offenders with Convictions occurring on or after the effective date of this Local Law. This Local Law shall take effect immediately upon filing with the Secretary of State.
Dated at Geneseo, New York
January 14, 2026 (Introduced)
January __, 2026 (Adopted)
Michele R. Rees, CLBC, IIMC-CMC
Clerk Of The Board