Arkansas Rabies Rules for Dog Businesses: Vaccination Age, Intake Records and What to Do After a Bite

If you are writing an intake policy this week, you are trying to do two things at once. You don't want to turn away a customer whose dog is fully legal, and you don't want to admit a dog that puts your staff, your clients' dogs or your business at risk. A short written policy handles both.

At minimum, I'd build it around four state points: the four-month vaccination age, the 30-day rule for dogs arriving in Arkansas, the twelfth-month revaccination, and the phone number you call after a bite. Everything else in the policy, such as which papers you accept, whether you take puppies, and what you do with an overdue dog, is your choice as a business owner. Keeping those two layers separate in your own head makes the policy easier to explain to clients. "The state requires this" and "we require this" are both fair things to say, as long as each one is accurate.

The state rules apply everywhere in Arkansas. Your city or county may add its own licensing, tag and bite-reporting duties, so check with the local animal-control office where you operate.

The core rule is 20 CAR § 105-102, updated August 10, 2026. It says every dog or cat four months of age or older must be vaccinated against rabies. A puppy can be vaccinated younger, but the timing should follow the label of the USDA-licensed vaccine the veterinarian uses.

The same rule covers dogs that arrive from elsewhere. An unvaccinated dog or cat over four months that is acquired or moved into Arkansas must be vaccinated within 30 days of the purchase or arrival date. That 30-day window does not apply when the owner has documented evidence of current vaccination.

Then comes the second shot. The rule requires revaccination during the twelfth month after the initial vaccination. After that first revaccination, the interval should conform to the rabies compendium the rule cites, published by the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians. The rule cites the 2008 compendium's list of licensed rabies vaccines, so the timing of later shots depends on the vaccine product used. When a client says their dog had a three-year vaccine, the dog's veterinarian is the right person to confirm the product and its interval, and current CDC guidance for veterinarians is worth a look too.

One practical point: the duty to vaccinate sits with the owner. Your job is to decide what proof you need before you take responsibility for the dog.

Your record requirements are your policy. Arkansas sets the vaccination age and deadlines; the paperwork you collect at the front desk is up to you. That is good news, because you can design a form that works for your type of service.

For a rabies section on an intake form, these fields cover most situations:

• The dog's name, age or date of birth, and description.
• The owner's name, phone number and an emergency contact.
• The veterinarian's name and phone number.
• The date of the most recent rabies vaccine.
• The product or expiration date, when the record shows it.
• A copy of the certificate or veterinary record, or a confirmation sent to you directly by the veterinary practice.

Some owners will hand you a rabies tag and nothing else. You can decide whether a tag counts for your business. Keep in mind that for bite investigations, the Arkansas Department of Health bite flyer (January 2023) says current vaccination is confirmed by a veterinarian. A tag alone may leave you with a gap if something goes wrong.

You can also require more than rabies. Many boarding and daycare businesses ask for other vaccines, and the International Boarding and Pet Services Association infection-prevention standards say facilities should set vaccination requirements. That is industry guidance, not Arkansas law, so present it to clients as your policy. Pet Sitters International also recommends keeping a pet profile and care instructions for every client, which fits naturally with the rabies record. Store records where staff can reach them fast, and update the date every time a client brings a new certificate.

A puppy under four months has not reached the state's mandatory vaccination age. That means a young puppy without a rabies vaccine is not breaking the Arkansas rule. If the puppy was vaccinated early, the timing should follow the vaccine label.

Your policy can still be stricter. Some businesses set a minimum age for group daycare or boarding, or ask for the puppy's full health record before the first visit. Whatever you choose, write it down and apply it the same way to every client, so nobody feels singled out.

Dogs moving to Arkansas need a different question on your form: when did the dog arrive, or when was it bought? If the dog is over four months, unvaccinated, and inside its 30-day window, the owner is still within the state rule. You can decide whether to wait until the shot is done before you take the dog. If the owner shows documented current vaccination from before the move, the 30-day rule does not apply at all; the question becomes whether the record is current and acceptable under your policy.

If you're also setting up a facility, my guide to opening a dog boarding kennel in Arkansas covers the wider startup steps.

Missing paperwork at intake can look like this: an owner says the dog is vaccinated, but they can't find the certificate, the vet's office is closed, or the shot was given at home.

One Arkansas fact should shape your policy. In a bite investigation, the Arkansas Department of Health treats a dog whose status is unknown, or not confirmed by a veterinarian, as non-vaccinated. A vaccine an owner gave without a veterinarian, such as an over-the-counter shot, is treated the same way.

So, if a dog with no confirmed record bites someone in your care, the investigation proceeds as if the dog was never vaccinated. That is a strong reason to ask for veterinary confirmation before the dog's first stay.

Your options as a business owner include:

• Hold the booking until the owner sends the record or the veterinary practice confirms it.
• Accept a call or email straight from the veterinary practice.
• Decline service for dogs over four months with no confirmable record.
• Ask an owner whose dog is overdue to get the overdue shot first.

Each of these is a policy choice. Pick one, put it in writing, and tell clients before they book.

If a dog in your care bites someone, first get people safe and separate the dog from people and other animals. Then follow the state process.

When the dog's owner is known, 20 CAR § 105-104 says the dog, vaccinated or not, will be confined, quarantined and observed as set out in 20 CAR § 105-101. Under that procedure:

• The dog is kept away from contact with other animals and people.
• Local public officials see that the dog is confined and observed for 10 days from the date of the bite.
• Euthanasia and testing may be used instead of observation.
• During the observation period, the dog cannot be revaccinated, sold, transferred, destroyed or otherwise disposed of.
• If the dog dies or is killed during the period, the head is shipped immediately to the public-health laboratory.
• The owner pays the confinement, veterinary and transportation costs.
• If the dog has no record of current vaccination and shows no signs of rabies at the end of the period, a licensed veterinarian vaccinates it before release.

The rule allows special handling in special circumstances, and stray animals or animals whose owner can't be identified are handled differently. In those cases, the officials on the call tell you what happens next. Where the dog is held also depends on its status and the officials' decision; the department's 10-day quarantine timeline lays out the period.

Write down what happened while it is fresh: the time, the place, who was bitten, which staff were present and what you did. If the dog only had contact with another animal that might be rabid, the CDC says physical closeness alone is not an exposure, though public-health officials may still want to assess it.

Keep these numbers on your intake desk and in every staff phone:

• Arkansas Department of Health, Zoonotic Disease Section: 501-280-4136. This is the state's listed contact for rabies questions, on its rabies page.
• Your local health unit in the county where the bite happened.
• City or county animal control for the incident location.
• The dog's veterinarian, for immediate care and records.

If testing is needed, the health authorities coordinate it with the Arkansas Public Health Laboratory.

Local rules can add their own steps. Little Rock Animal Services, for example, says dogs and cats four months or older must be vaccinated and licensed by the city, and that animal bites that break the skin must be reported immediately. Find the equivalent office for each city and county you work in, and add it to your list.

Your team handles many dogs, so they need a simple plan. If a staff member is bitten or scratched, they should report it right away and get medical advice. A doctor or the health department decides whether treatment is needed.

The CDC says people who work directly with animals that could have rabies may be candidates for pre-exposure vaccination, called PrEP. Its higher-risk group names veterinarians, veterinary technicians, animal-control officers and wildlife workers. That does not mean every Arkansas groomer, walker or daycare attendant must get PrEP. The decision depends on each worker's actual risk and current medical guidance, so it belongs with a doctor.

For day-to-day safety, NIOSH recommends that animal-care employers train staff on hazards and safe handling, use infection-control practices and protective equipment, and have workers report injuries promptly. It also recommends keeping records of staff training, immunizations, work-related injuries and illnesses. A simple binder or shared folder with a training sign-off sheet and an incident log covers this.

Rabies rules are statewide, but whether you can run your business at a given address is a local question. Before you take dogs at a home or new building, ask your city planning or zoning office whether boarding, daycare or grooming is allowed there, and whether you need a kennel permit, a business license, a home-occupation permit or other approval. Ask about dog limits, play yards, fencing, noise, waste and parking too. If the property sits outside city limits, the county offices handle it.

Little Rock is a good example of why this matters. Little Rock Animal Services says a household may not have more than four dogs and four cats without a kennel permit. Its Planning and Development Department lists the zoning and building-permit contacts.

State registration is separate. The Arkansas Secretary of State lists a $45 online and $50 paper fee for a domestic LLC Certificate of Organization, as of September 30, 2026. The Department of Finance and Administration issues sales-tax permits; ask DFA or a tax professional how your specific services are taxed.

Insurance ties back to your rabies policy. Pet Sitters International describes care, custody and control coverage for animals in your care, along with bonding, workers' compensation and commercial auto. Ask your agent directly whether the policy excludes dogs without vaccination records, and whether your written intake policy matches what the insurer expects. For the bite side of things, my guide to Arkansas dangerous-dog rules for dog businesses goes further.

These cover the vaccination rule, rabies proof, turning a dog away, bite quarantine and dogs new to Arkansas, for when you are writing or updating an intake policy.

Every dog and cat four months or older must be vaccinated, under 20 CAR § 105-102. The first revaccination is due during the twelfth month after the first vaccine. Later shots follow the interval in the rabies compendium the rule cites, which depends on the vaccine product.

That is your policy to set. Veterinary confirmation is the strongest option, because Arkansas bite investigations treat unconfirmed status as non-vaccinated. A certificate, a veterinary record, or a direct call or email from the clinic all give you a record a health official will recognize.

Yes, you can set a rule that dogs over four months need confirmed records before service. Apply it to every client the same way and state it before booking. Check that your insurance terms match it.

For an owned dog, observation lasts 10 days from the date of the bite, under 20 CAR § 105-101. Local officials oversee the confinement. The dog's owner pays the confinement, veterinary and transportation costs.

Only if it is over four months and has no documented current vaccination. In that case the owner has 30 days from arrival or purchase to get it done. A dog with a current documented vaccine from another state is not on that 30-day clock.

Print the state points on one page: four months, 30 days for new arrivals, the twelfth-month revaccination, and 501-280-4136. Then write your own intake rules underneath, mark them as your business policy, and add your local animal-control number. Share it with your staff this week and walk through the bite steps together once, so nobody is reading them for the first time during an incident.

If you want clients to find your policy before they book, the DogServ directory lets you list your business so Arkansas dog owners can see your services and requirements in one place.

• cdc.gov: CDC guidance for veterinarians
• cdc.gov: CDC
• cdc.gov: NIOSH recommends
• codeofarrules.arkansas.gov: 20 CAR § 105-101
• codeofarrules.arkansas.gov: 20 CAR § 105-102
• codeofarrules.arkansas.gov: 20 CAR § 105-104
• dashboard.rescuedisinfectants.com: International Boarding and Pet Services Association
• dfa.arkansas.gov: Department of Finance and Administration
• healthy.arkansas.gov: 10-day quarantine timeline
• healthy.arkansas.gov: Arkansas Department of Health bite flyer
• healthy.arkansas.gov: Arkansas Public Health Laboratory
• healthy.arkansas.gov: rabies page
• littlerock.gov: Little Rock Animal Services
• littlerock.gov: Planning and Development Department
• nasphv.org: National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians
• petsit.com: Pet Sitters International
• petsit.com: Pet Sitters International
• sos.arkansas.gov: Arkansas Secretary of State