Alabama Rabies Law for Dog Businesses: Tags, Certificates, Intake Records and the 10-Day Bite Quarantine

If you run a boarding kennel, daycare, grooming shop, walking route or sitting service, you are probably trying to settle two things at once: what paperwork to ask for, and what happens to you, your client and the dog if something goes wrong. The short version is above, and the rest of the page fills in each part.

The Alabama Department of Public Health rabies page (updated September 14, 2026) says, "Vaccination of dogs, cats, and ferrets is required by law." The rules sit in Title 3, Chapter 7A of the Code of Alabama. That duty belongs to the dog's owner. Your job as a business is to decide what proof you will accept, write it down, and know exactly who to call after a bite.

The bite answer has one point to know ahead of time. A current vaccine does not skip the quarantine. ADPH says a healthy dog, cat or ferret that bites a person should be quarantined for 10 days regardless of vaccination status. Knowing that before a client asks will save you a hard conversation in the moment.

I'm not a lawyer, vet or public-health official, so treat this as a plain-language map of the state rules with the office that decides each point named next to it.

Ask for the rabies certificate, then check the tag against it. Section 3-7A-2 says evidence of immunization is a printed or qualifying electronic certificate, and it lists what that certificate includes:

• A description of the animal, including age, color, sex and breed, plus any tattoo identification.
• The owner's name and address.
• The vaccine lot number and type, the manufacturer and the amount injected.
• The date after which the animal is no longer considered vaccinated.
• The date and signature of the person authorized to give the vaccine.
• A serially numbered tag bearing the same number and year as the certificate.

Section 3-7A-4 requires the rabies officer, authorized representative or licensed veterinarian who issues the certificate to furnish that matching tag, and the tag must stay attached to a collar or harness the dog wears. So, the quick intake check is simple: does the number and year on the tag match the certificate, and is the expiration date still ahead of the stay?

If the certificate exists but the tag is missing, Section 3-7A-5 covers replacement tags and duplicate certificates. Ask the owner to get that sorted with their vet before the next visit, and note the gap in your file.

A practical intake record goes a little further than the certificate. These fields keep you ready if a health officer calls:

Under Chapter 7A, the vaccination duty is the owner's. Requiring proof before a dog walks through your door is generally a business policy, unless your city or county has adopted a rule that adds it. That matters for two reasons. First, you can require it, and you can turn away a dog without it, as long as your written policy says so and you apply it the same way to everyone. Second, you should not tell clients "the state makes me collect this" unless a local office has told you that.

Local rules can go further than the state. Section 3-7A-14 lets municipalities further control and regulate dogs and cats. Call your city clerk or animal-control office and ask one direct question: does the city or county require rabies proof at intake for a business like mine?

Industry groups lean toward making the policy formal. IBPSA's Infection Prevention Standards (September 29, 2020) recommend clear written minimum vaccination requirements for boarding, daycare, training and grooming facilities, and say staff should individually review veterinarian vaccine records for every animal. That is operational guidance, not Alabama law, but it is a sound habit for a walker or sitter too.

Handle the people first, then the paperwork. ADPH's quarantine fact sheet defines exposure as suspected or confirmed saliva contact with broken skin or a mucous membrane, such as the eyes, mouth or nose. A scratch can count, because ADPH notes a scratch may carry saliva from the dog's paw.

Work through these steps in order:

1. Stop the interaction and separate the dog from people and other animals, without creating another exposure.
2. Give reasonable first aid within your staff's training, and call emergency services for a serious injury.
3. Tell the injured person to get medical attention. The ADPH rabies page says any animal bite or scratch should be checked by a physician and reported to the county health department.
4. Get the injured person's contact information and write down what happened.
5. Contact your local county health department or county rabies officer promptly.
6. Contact the dog's veterinarian or another licensed veterinarian.
7. Follow the health officer's quarantine instructions.

The county rabies officer is a licensed veterinarian appointed through the county board of health, with approval from the State Health Officer and State Veterinarian. Under Section 3-7A-11, that officer handles immunization and has limited police powers to issue citations, and sheriffs and police are told to cooperate. Section 3-7A-12 includes penalties for failing to report an animal bite, so treat the call as part of the job, even when a client would rather keep it quiet.

Save these numbers before you need them. The ADPH Infectious Diseases and Outbreaks contact page (updated June 9, 2026) lists 334-206-5347 and 334-206-5971 during business hours, and 1-800-338-8374 for provider consults and after-hours help. Add your own county health department's number next to them.

When the rabies officer or health officer learns that a person was bitten or exposed, Section 3-7A-9 places the dog in quarantine under the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian. Section 3-7A-1 defines that as confinement under a vet's care, custody, control and supervision for 10 days after the exposure, or as the health officer directs. The ADPH Rabies Quarantine Fact Sheet says the 10 days start on the date of the incident.

Home quarantine is possible but narrow. The fact sheet allows it only at the health officer's discretion and only when every listed condition is met. Don't promise a client their dog can ride out the 10 days on the couch; let the health officer make that call.

Vaccination does not end it. The ADPH Rabies Bite Manual (2023) says healthy dogs, cats and ferrets that bite a person should be quarantined for 10 days regardless of current vaccination status. The dog must be confined so it cannot escape and can be observed. If it gets sick or its behavior changes, the county or state health department must be told and a vet must evaluate the dog.

For a worried client, one fact may help. A bite does not automatically mean euthanasia. Section 3-7A-9 provides quarantine for owned animals; immediate destruction applies only in specified situations, such as no owner, the owner's written agreement or a health-officer order.

No transfers. Section 3-7A-9 prohibits selling, giving away, transferring or otherwise disposing of an animal known to have bitten or exposed a person until it is released from quarantine. For a rescue that boards with you, or a client who wants to rehome a dog after an incident, that rule pauses everything until release.

The statute also says quarantine expenses are borne by the owner. Put that sentence in your client contract so nobody is surprised by a veterinary bill, and so your business is not assumed to be paying it.

This matters for boarding clients who are moving or traveling. The Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries dog page says every dog or domesticated cat moved into Alabama for any purpose must travel with an official Certificate of Veterinary Inspection. That certificate must show the animal was vaccinated against rabies at three months, with later shots on the vaccine's licensed interval, and that it is identified by vaccination certificates and tags bearing the same number and year.

Puppies and domesticated kittens under three months may enter without vaccination under that rule. The entry rule also does not apply to a dog or cat brought in for exhibition that stays in Alabama no more than 21 days. AGI says Alabama stopped accepting APHIS-VS Form 7001 for small-animal entry on January 1, 2019, so have the owner ask an accredited veterinarian which interstate certificate process is accepted now.

State rabies law is only one layer. The Alabama Department of Revenue says city and county officials decide which local licenses and permits you need, and that fees vary by license type, population and business volume. Local rules can cover:

• City business licenses and county privilege licenses.
• Zoning, land use and home-occupation approval.
• Kennel capacity and limits on the number of dogs or overnight animals.
• Noise, sanitation, parking, waste, building, fire and occupancy permits.
• Animal-control licensing, dangerous-dog rules and bite-reporting procedures.

A dog with a bite history is a local question as much as a rabies one. A current vaccine does not settle it. Decide acceptance under your written safety policy, your insurance terms, your contract and any local dangerous-dog rule. Ask the city or county animal-control office, the municipal clerk, the county commission or the sheriff which office runs dangerous-dog and confinement rules, and ask the county health department about rabies procedures. Our guides on why dogs bite and dog body language can help staff spot stress before it turns into an incident.

You can get most of this done in an afternoon. Start with these five documents:

1. An intake checklist. Request the certificate if your policy requires it, confirm it names the dog and owner, check the vaccination and expiration dates, compare the tag number and year, and record the vet or clinic and emergency contacts.
2. A bite and exposure procedure. Use the steps above, and add a line to preserve video, photos and written notes, plus who on staff makes the calls.
3. A client contract. Pet Sitters International says a thorough contract and Terms & Conditions page should explain your policies to clients. State your rabies proof rule, that you will report bites to public health, that the dog cannot be transferred during quarantine, and that the owner pays quarantine costs under § 3-7A-9.
4. An emergency contact sheet. County health department, county rabies officer, the ADPH numbers above, your nearest vet and an emergency vet. The DogServ vet directory can help you find one nearby.
5. A record-retention rule. Decide how long you keep certificate copies and incident reports, and where they live.

Insurance belongs on the list too. Notify your insurer after an incident according to your policy, and ask whether they want an incident report. Coverage depends on your policy's terms, so ask your agent about bites, animals in your care and veterinary costs before you need it. Our page on dog business insurance walks through the coverage types to ask about.

These answers cover how often the rabies shot is due, which proof to accept, how scratches are handled, and what to tell the injured person.

The first shot is due when the dog reaches three months of age, and later shots follow the interval on the vaccine's license, under Section 3-7A-2. That interval depends on the vaccine used. Read the "no longer considered vaccinated" date on the certificate rather than guessing.

Ask for the signed rabies certificate and check that its tag number and year match the tag on the collar. A tag alone does not replace the certificate, because the law describes both. Keep a copy or photo in the dog's file with the date your staff reviewed it.

It can be. ADPH treats suspected or confirmed saliva contact with broken skin or a mucous membrane as an exposure, and a scratch may carry saliva from the paw. Report it to the county health department and let the health officer decide what follows.

Tell them to get medical attention and give them the county health department's contact. Staff should not make a medical or legal call about the injury; wound care and rabies treatment decisions belong to a doctor.

Pick one document from the list above and write it today; the intake checklist is the easiest start. Then save your county health department's number in every staff phone. If you run a boarding, daycare, grooming or walking business in Alabama, list your business in the DogServ directory so owners searching nearby can find you, and our guide on how to start a dog boarding business covers the setup pieces beyond rabies.

• agi.alabama.gov: Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries dog page
• alabamapublichealth.gov: ADPH Infectious Diseases and Outbreaks contact page
• alabamapublichealth.gov: ADPH Rabies Bite Manual
• alabamapublichealth.gov: ADPH Rabies Quarantine Fact Sheet
• alabamapublichealth.gov: Alabama Department of Public Health rabies page
• alabamapublichealth.gov: Section 3-7A-1
• alabamapublichealth.gov: Section 3-7A-11
• alabamapublichealth.gov: Section 3-7A-12
• alabamapublichealth.gov: Section 3-7A-14
• alabamapublichealth.gov: Section 3-7A-2
• alabamapublichealth.gov: Section 3-7A-4
• alabamapublichealth.gov: Section 3-7A-5
• alabamapublichealth.gov: Section 3-7A-9
• dashboard.rescuedisinfectants.com: Infection Prevention Standards
• petsit.com: Pet Sitters International
• revenue.alabama.gov: Alabama Department of Revenue