Animal Cruelty Laws: Felony vs. Misdemeanor

This matrix will allow you to quickly see whether or not your state has felony statutes in place for cruelty to animals. Click on the table header to re-sort the matrix.

There are 2 states without felony provisions for cruelty to animals: North Dakota, and South Dakota.

This list was last updated on Nov 23, 2012.

information about fields used in this chart

Felony:Whether there are felony provisions for animal cruelty in the specified state.
Year:Year the felony law was enacted, if applicable.
Max. Jail:Maximum amount of jail time allowable by law under the felony provisions.
Max. Fine:Maximum fine allowable by law.
Counseling:Whether state law allows mandatory counseling to be ordered as part of sentencing.
Ban:Whether state law allows for a temporary or permanent ban on animal ownership as part of sentencing.
PPO:Whether state law can include animals in protection orders (pet protective orders).

STATEFELONYYEARMAX.
JAIL
MAX.
FINE
COUNSEL-
ING
BANPPO
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IdahoYES2012 15 years $9,000 Counseling: NONONO
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MississippiYES2011 1 year $5,000 Counseling: YESNONO
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HawaiiYES2007 5 years $10,000 Counseling: NONONO
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KansasYES2006 1 years $5,000 Counseling: YESNONO
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KentuckyYES2003 5 years $10,000 Counseling: NONONO
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West VirgniaYES2003 5 years $5,000 Counseling: YESYESNO
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WyomingYES2003 2 years $5,000 Counseling: NOYESNO
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ColoradoYES2002 6 years $500,000 Counseling: YESYESYES
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NebraskaYES2002 5 years $10,000 Counseling: NONONO
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OhioYES2002 1 years $2,000 Counseling: YESNONO
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D.C.YES2001 5 years $25,000 Counseling: NONONO
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MaineYES2001 5 years $10,000 Counseling: YESYESYES
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MarylandYES2001 3 years $5,000 Counseling: YESYESNO
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MinnesotaYES2001 4 years $10,000 Counseling: YESYESNO
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New JerseyYES2001 5 years $15,000 Counseling: YESNONO
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TennesseeYES2001 9 months  Counseling: YESYESNO
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AlabamaYES2000 10 years $5,000 Counseling: NONONO
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GeorgiaYES2000 5 years $15,000 Counseling: YESNONO
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IowaYES2000 5 years $75,000 Counseling: YESNONO
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South CarolinaYES2000 5 years $5,000 Counseling: NONONO
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ArizonaYES1999 1 years $150,000 Counseling: NONONO
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IllinoisYES1999 5 years $50,000 Counseling: YESNONO
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NevadaYES1999 5 years $10,000 Counseling: YESNOYES
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New MexicoYES1999 18 months $5,000 Counseling: YESNONO
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New YorkYES1999 2 years $5,000 Counseling: YESYESYES
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VirginiaYES1999 5 years $2,500 Counseling: YESYESNO
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IndianaYES1998 3 years $10,000 Counseling: YESNONO
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North CarolinaYES1998 6 months $1,000 Counseling: NONONO
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VermontYES1998 5 years $7,500 Counseling: YESYESYES
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TexasYES1997 2 years $10,000 Counseling: YESNONO
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ConnecticutYES1996 5 years $5,000 Counseling: YESNOYES
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LouisianaYES1995 10 years $25,000 Counseling: YESNONO
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OregonYES1995 5 years $100,000 Counseling: YESNONO
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PennsylvaniaYES1995 7 years $15,000 Counseling: YESNONO
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DelawareYES1994 3 years $5,000 Counseling: NOYESNO
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MissouriYES1994 5 years $5,000 Counseling: NONONO
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New HampshireYES1994 7 years $4,000 Counseling: NOYESNO
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WashingtonYES1994 5 years $10,000 Counseling: YESNONO
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MontanaYES1993 2 years $2,500 Counseling: NOYESNO
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FloridaYES1989 5 years $10,000 Counseling: YESNONO
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CaliforniaYES1988 3 years $20,000 Counseling: YESNOYES
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WisconsinYES1986 5 years $10,000 Counseling: NONONO
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MichiganYES1931 4 years $5,000 Counseling: YESYESNO
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Rhode IslandYES1896 2 years $1,000 Counseling: YESNONO
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OklahomaYES1887 5 years $5,000 Counseling: NONONO
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MassachusettsYES1804 5 years $2,500 Counseling: NONONO
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AlaskaYES 1 years $10,000 Counseling: YESNONO
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ArkansasYES 1 years $1,000 Counseling: YESNONO
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North DakotaNO 1 years $2,000 Counseling: NONONO
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South DakotaNO 1 years $1,000 Counseling: NONONO
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UtahYES 1 years $5,000 Counseling: YESNONO
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