Title 16, ANIMALS AND LIVESTOCK

The director shall establish by rule a schedule for the renewal of recorded brands. The fee for renewal of a recorded brand shall be one hundred twenty dollars for each four-year period of brand ownership, except that the director may, in adopting a renewal schedule, provide for …

A brand is the personal property of the owner of record. Any instrument affecting the title of the brand shall be executed by the recorded owner and acknowledged by a notary public. The director shall record the instrument upon presentation and payment of a recording fee of twent…

The right to use a brand shall be evidenced by the original certificate issued by the director showing that the brand is of present record or a certified copy of the record of the brand showing that it is of present record. A healed brand of record on livestock shall be prima fac…

Any person having a brand recorded with the department shall have a preemptory right to use such brand and its design under any newly approved method of branding adopted by the director. [ 1967 c 240 s 38.]

No brand shall be placed on livestock that is not permanent in nature and of a size that is not readily visible. The director, in order to assure that brands are readily visible, may prescribe the size of branding irons to be used for ownership brands. [ 1959 c 54 s 11.]

No person shall remove or alter a brand of record on livestock without first having secured the written permission of the director. Violation of this section is a gross misdemeanor. [ 2003 c 326 s 13; 1991 c 110 s 2; 1959 c 54 s 12.]

The director shall not record a brand that is identical to a brand of present record; nor a brand so similar to a brand of present record that it will be difficult to distinguish between the brands when applied to livestock. [ 2003 c 326 s 14; 1959 c 54 s 13.]

The owner of a brand of record may obtain from the director a certified copy of the record of the owner's brand upon payment of a fee of fifteen dollars. [ 2003 c 326 s 15; 1994 c 46 s 18; 1993 c 354 s 7; 1974 ex.s. c 64 s 4; 1959 c 54 s 14.] Notes: Effective date—1994 c 46: See …

The director shall publish a book to be known as the "Washington State Brand Book", showing all the brands of record. The book shall contain the name and address of the owners of brands of record and a copy of the livestock identification laws and rules. Supplements to the brand …

The director may adopt rules necessary to administer the recording and changing of ownership of brands. [ 2003 c 326 s 17.]

(1) The director may adopt rules: (a) Designating any point for mandatory inspection of cattle or horses or the furnishing of proof that cattle or horses passing or being transported through the point have been inspected or identified and are lawfully being transported; (b) Provi…

The director may, in order to reduce the cost of inspection to livestock owners, enter into agreements with any qualified county, municipal, or other local law enforcement agency, or qualified individuals for the purpose of performing livestock inspection in areas where inspectio…

The director may enter at any reasonable time any slaughterhouse or public livestock market to inspect livestock or hides, and may enter at any reasonable time an establishment where hides are held to inspect them for brands or other means of identification. The director may ente…

Should the director be denied access to any premises or establishment where access was sought for the purposes set forth in RCW 16.57.170, the director may apply to any court of competent jurisdiction for a search warrant authorizing access to the premises or establishment for th…

Any owner or his or her agent shall make livestock being inspected readily accessible and shall cooperate with the director to carry out the inspection in a safe and expeditious manner. [ 2003 c 326 s 22; 1959 c 54 s 20.]

The director shall have authority to arrest without warrant anywhere in the state any person found in the act of, or whom the director has reason to believe is guilty of, transporting, holding, selling, or slaughtering stolen livestock. Any person arrested by the director shall b…

(1) Except as provided for in RCW 16.65.090 and otherwise in this section, the fee for livestock inspection is $4 per head for cattle and $3.85 for horses, with a call out fee of $20. (2) When cattle are identified with the owner's brand, electronic official individual identifica…

(1) Any inspection fee shall be paid to the department by the owner or person in possession of the livestock unless the inspection is requested by the purchaser and then the fee shall be paid by the purchaser. (2) Except as provided by rule, the inspection fee is due and payable …

No person shall collect or make a charge for inspection of livestock unless there has been an actual inspection of the livestock. [ 2003 c 326 s 26; 1995 c 374 s 50; 1959 c 54 s 23.] Notes: Effective date—1995 c 374 ss 1-47, 50-53, and 59-68: See note following RCW 15.36.012.

(1) Certificates of permit, inspection certificates, and self-inspection certificates meeting the requirements of RCW 16.57.160 shall show the owner, number, breed, sex, brand, or other method of identification of the cattle or horses and any other necessary information required …

(1) Cattle may not be moved or transported within Washington state without being accompanied by a certificate of permit, inspection certificate, self-inspection certificate meeting the requirements of RCW 16.57.160, or other satisfactory proof of ownership, except when the cattle…

The director or any peace officer may stop vehicles carrying cattle or horses to determine if the livestock being transported are accompanied by a certificate of permit, inspection certificate, self-inspection certificate meeting the requirements of RCW 16.57.010, or other satisf…

It is unlawful for any person to remove or cause to be removed or accept for removal from this state, any cattle or horses which are not accompanied at all times by an inspection certificate on such cattle or horses, except as provided by rule adopted under this chapter. [ 2003 c…

It is unlawful for any person to fail to present an animal for inspection at any mandatory inspection point designated by the director by rule under this chapter. [ 2003 c 326 s 31.]

It is unlawful for any person moving or transporting livestock in this state to refuse to assist the director or any peace officer in establishing the identity and ownership of the livestock being moved or transported. [ 2003 c 326 s 32; 1959 c 54 s 27.]

Any cattle carcass, or primal part thereof, of any breed or age being transported in this state from other than a state or federal licensed and inspected slaughterhouse or common carrier hauling for the slaughterhouse, shall be accompanied by a certificate of permit signed by the…

Any person licensed as a custom farm slaughterer under RCW 16.49.035 shall complete and attach a custom slaughter beef tag to each of the four quarters of all slaughtered cattle handled by the slaughterer. The tags must remain on the quarters until the quarters are cut and wrappe…

(1) No person shall knowingly have possession of any cattle or horse marked with a recorded brand of another person unless the: (a) Cattle or horse lawfully bears the person's own healed recorded brand; (b) Cattle or horse is accompanied by a certificate of permit from the owner …

All cattle and horses that are not accompanied by a certificate of permit, inspection certificate, self-inspection certificate meeting the requirements of RCW 16.57.160, or other satisfactory proof of ownership when offered for sale and presented for inspection by the director, s…

The proceeds from the sale of cattle and horses when impounded under RCW 16.57.290, after paying the cost thereof, shall be paid to the director, who shall make a record showing the brand or marks or other method of identification of the animals and the amount realized from the s…

When a person has been notified by registered mail that animals bearing the person's recorded brand have been sold by the director, the person shall present to the director a claim on the proceeds within thirty days from the receipt of the notice or the director may decide that n…

If, after the expiration of one year from the date of sale, the person presenting the animals for inspection has not provided the director with satisfactory proof of ownership, the proceeds from the sale shall be paid on the claim of the owner of the recorded brand. However, it s…

If, after the expiration of one year from the date of sale, no claim under RCW 16.57.310 is made or no satisfactory proof of ownership is provided under RCW 16.57.320, the money shall be credited to the department to be expended in carrying out the provisions of this chapter. [ 2…

The director has the authority to enter into reciprocal agreements with any or all states to prevent the theft, misappropriation, or loss of identification of livestock. The director may declare any livestock which is shipped or moved into this state from those states estrays if …

The director may adopt such rules as are necessary to carry out the purposes of this chapter. It shall be the duty of the director to enforce and carry out the provisions of this chapter and/or rules adopted hereunder. No person shall interfere with the director when he or she is…

(1) The director may adopt rules: (a) To support the agriculture industry in meeting federal requirements for the country-of-origin labeling of meat. Any requirements established under this subsection for country of origin labeling purposes shall be substantially consistent with …

(1)(a) The department is authorized to issue notices of and enforce civil infractions in the manner prescribed under chapter 7.80 RCW. (b) The violation of any provision of this chapter and/or rules adopted under this chapter shall constitute a class 1 civil infraction as provide…

All fees collected under the provisions of this chapter shall be deposited in an account in the agricultural local fund and used to carry out the purposes of this chapter, except as otherwise provided. [ 2013 c 313 s 2; 2003 c 326 s 43; 1959 c 54 s 37.] Notes: Fees provided in ch…

Horses and cattle may be identified by individual identification certificates or other means of identification authorized by the director. The certificates or other means of identification are valid only for the use of the owner in whose name it is issued. Horses and cattle ident…

A person who removes or causes to be removed a microchip implanted in a horse, or who removes or causes to be removed a microchip from one horse and implants or causes it to be implanted in another horse, with the intent to defraud a subsequent purchaser, is guilty of a gross mis…

The department has the authority to conduct an investigation of an incident where scars or other marks indicate that a microchip has been removed from a horse. [ 1996 c 105 s 3.]

(1) No person may act as a registering agency without a permit issued by the director. The director may issue a permit to any person to act as a registering agency for the purpose of issuing permanent identification symbols for horses in a manner prescribed by the director. Appli…

The department may, in consultation with representatives of the ratite industry, develop by rule a system that provides for the identification of individual ratites through the use of microchipping. The department may establish fees for the issuance or reissuance of microchipping…

The director may: (1) Adopt rules governing issuance of replacement copies of brand inspection documents; and (2) Charge a fee of twenty-five dollars for such copies, which may be increased by rule. [ 2010 c 66 s 13.]

It is unlawful for a person to transport or deliver cattle or horses to any destination other than the physical address of the destination designated on an inspection certificate, certificate of permit, or other transportation document when required by law or rule. The director m…

(1)(a) The director may establish an electronic cattle transaction reporting system as a mechanism for reporting transactions involving cattle to the department. The system may be used as an alternative to mandatory inspections under RCW 16.57.160. The system may be used to repor…