(1) Unless otherwise authorized by law, it is unlawful and a violation of this article for any person or entity:
To perform any of the acts of a pet animal facility for which licensure is requiredwithout possessing a valid license under this article;
To solicit, advertise, or offer to perform any of the acts for which licensure as a petanimal facility is required without possessing a valid license to perform such acts;
To refuse to comply with a cease-and-desist order issued pursuant to section 35-80-
111;
To refuse or fail to comply with the provisions of this article;
To make a material misstatement in a license application, a license renewal application, or to the department during an official investigation;
To impersonate any state, county, city and county, or municipal official or inspector;
To refuse or fail to comply with any rules or regulations adopted by the commissioner pursuant to this article or any lawful order issued by the commissioner;
To aid or abet another in any violation of this article or any rule promulgated by thecommissioner under the provisions of this article;
To import or have in such person's possession for the purpose of selling, trading,giving, or otherwise transferring certain species of birds designated by the commissioner that have not been legally banded with a leg band applied during the prefeathered stage of development and appropriate to the size and species of the bird;
To sell, barter, exchange, or otherwise transfer, possess, import, or cause to be imported into this state:
Any type of turtle with a length in carapace of less than four inches; except that aperson may possess a turtle that the person has bred with a length in carapace of less than four inches; or
(A) Any species of nonhuman primate.
(B) This paragraph (j) does not apply to a research facility or exhibitor properly licensed or registered under the provisions of the federal "Animal Welfare Act of 1970", 7 U.S.C. sec.
2131 et seq., as amended.
(k) To sell, transfer, or adopt dogs or cats under the age of eight weeks;
(k.5) To transfer cats under the minimum weight limit set by rule of the commissioner;
To sell, transfer, or adopt guinea pigs, hamsters, or rabbits under the age of fourweeks, and such other pet animal species as may be specified by the commissioner; and
To alter or falsify any certificate of veterinary inspection or any other certificate ofveterinary health.
(1.5) Paragraphs (i), (j), (k), and (l) of subsection (1) of this section shall apply to all persons and entities, including those specifically exempted under section 35-80-103 (1), (2)(a), (2)(c), (2)(d), and (2)(e).
(2) It is unlawful and a violation of this article for any person operating a pet animal facility:
To refuse to permit entry or inspection in accordance with section 35-80-110;
To sell, offer for sale, barter, exchange, or otherwise transfer immature domesticfowl in lots of less than twenty-five as pets;
To sell, offer for sale, barter, exchange, or otherwise transfer raccoons or other animal species of wildlife that are prohibited to be kept as pets by the division of parks and wildlife in the department of natural resources;
To import or cause to be imported any pet animal for the purpose of sale, resale,trade, or barter by a pet animal facility operator unless such operator is the holder of a valid pet animal facility license issued pursuant to this article;
To allow a license issued pursuant to this article to be used by an unlicensed person;
To make any misrepresentation or false promise through advertisements, employees,agents, or otherwise in connection with the business operations licensed pursuant to this article or for which an application for a license is pending; and
To fail to take reasonable care to release for sale, trade, or adoption only those petanimals that are free of undisclosed disease, injury, or abnormality.
It is unlawful and a violation of this article for any employee or official of the department or any person designated by the commissioner pursuant to section 35-80-109 (6) to disclose or use for his or her own advantage any information derived from any reports or records submitted to the department pursuant to section 35-80-110 or to reveal such information to anyone except authorized persons, including officials or employees of the state, the federal government, and the courts of this or other states.
The failure by any person to comply with the provisions of paragraph (a) or (b) ofsubsection (1) of this section or paragraph (f) of subsection (2) of this section is a deceptive trade practice and is subject to the provisions of the "Colorado Consumer Protection Act", article 1 of title 6, C.R.S.
Source: L. 94: Entire article added, p. 1303, § 8, effective July 1. L. 98: (1)(i) amended, p. 119, § 3, effective March 24. L. 2000: (1)(k) and (1)(l) amended and (1)(m) added, p. 1399, § 7, effective May 30. L. 2003: (1)(k.5) added, p. 2095, § 6, effective July 1. L. 2009: (1)(j)(I) and (1)(j)(II)(B) amended, (SB 09-118), ch. 327, p. 1743, § 13, effective July 1. L. 2014:
(1)(j)(II)(B) amended, (HB 14-1270), ch. 365, p. 1746, § 6, effective July 1.