Code of Alabama - Title 34: Professions and Businesses - Chapter 29 - Veterinarians
- Article 1 General Provisions.
- Article 2 Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners.
- Article 3 Certificates of Qualification.
- Article 4 Veterinary Practice.
- Section 34-29-60 Short title
This article shall be known as the Alabama Veterinary Practice Act.
- Section 34-29-61 Definitions
For the purposes of this article, the following terms shall have the following meanings ascribed by this section: (1) ACCREDITED SCHOOL OF VETERINARY MEDICINE. Any...
- Section 34-29-62 Legislative intent
In order to promote the public health, safety, and welfare by safeguarding the people of the State of Alabama against unqualified or incompetent practice of...
- Section 34-29-63 State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners established; composition
(a) There is established a state board to consist of eight members to be known as the Alabama State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners. (b)...
- Section 34-29-64 Qualifications of members; removal
(a)(1) Six members of the board shall be graduates of an accredited school of veterinary medicine; legal residents of Alabama; currently and validly licensed to...
- Section 34-29-65 Executive director; incapacitation of director; official bond
(a) The board may employ an executive director, prescribe the duties, and set the salary of the executive director. (b) In the event the director...
- Section 34-29-66 President and vice-president; bylaws; meetings; quorum; records
(a) The board shall elect from its members a president and vice-president, each of whom shall serve a term of one year. (b) The board...
- Section 34-29-67 Compensation and expenses; expenditure of funds
The members of the board shall receive two hundred dollars ($200) a day for each day or a portion thereof the member is actually engaged...
- Section 34-29-68 Records to be kept; issuances and denials of licenses; what records are confidential
The board shall keep records of its proceedings in a book provided for that purpose, especially with relation to the issuance, denial, renewal, suspension, and...
- Section 34-29-69 Powers of board
The board shall be a body corporate and shall have the power to do all of the following: (1) Examine and determine the qualifications and...
- Section 34-29-70 Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners Fund; expenditures; transfer of excess
All revenues received by the board shall be accepted by the executive director and deposited with the Treasurer of the state to be credited to...
- Section 34-29-71 Temporary license
(a) The board may issue a temporary license to practice veterinary medicine to an unlicensed applicant providing the applicant meets all conditions and requirements of...
- Section 34-29-72 Application; qualifications; faculty license
(a) Any person desiring a license to practice veterinary medicine in this state shall make written application in the English language to the board. The...
- Section 34-29-73 Examination procedures
(a) The board shall hold at least two examinations and may hold additional examinations as it deems necessary. The executive director or his or her...
- Section 34-29-74 Issuance of license without written examination to certain applicants
The board may issue a license without a written examination to a qualified applicant who furnishes satisfactory proof that he or she is a graduate...
- Section 34-29-75 Expiration and renewal of licenses; suspension for nonrenewal
All licenses shall expire annually on December 31 of each year but may be renewed by application to the board showing fulfillment of continuing education...
- Section 34-29-76 License required - Certain acts prohibited
No person shall practice veterinary medicine or veterinary technology unless the person holds an active license to practice veterinary medicine or veterinary technology in the...
- Section 34-29-77 License required - Certain acts not prohibited
No person shall practice veterinary medicine or veterinary technology in the State of Alabama who is not a currently and validly licensed veterinarian or licensed...
- Section 34-29-78 Injunction against unauthorized practice of veterinary medicine
The board or any citizen of this state may bring action in the Circuit Court of Montgomery County to enjoin any person from practicing veterinary...
- Section 34-29-79 Administrative hearing procedures
(a) When the board, by its official actions, acts or proposes to act in a manner which will affect the rights, duties, or privileges of...
- Section 34-29-80 Complaints and testimony to be privileged; immunity of certain persons from suit
Complaints submitted to the board or testimony with respect thereto shall be absolutely privileged and no lawsuit predicated thereon may be instituted. Members of the...
- Section 34-29-81 Relicensing and reinstatement
Any person whose license is suspended or revoked by the board may be relicensed or reinstated at any time without an examination by a majority...
- Section 34-29-82 Criminal penalties
Any person who shall practice veterinary medicine without a current valid license shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction shall be fined not...
- Section 34-29-83 Appeal of disciplinary action; stay of revocation
A person disciplined pursuant to this article may appeal to the Circuit Court of Montgomery County, notwithstanding the provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act. To...
- Section 34-29-84 Filing of license with probate office; fee
A person shall be responsible for filing his or her license with the probate office of the county where he or she resides or the...
- Section 34-29-85 Status of persons holding license on April 30, 1986
Any person holding a valid license to practice veterinary medicine in Alabama on April 30, 1986, shall be recognized as a licensed veterinarian and shall...
- Section 34-29-86 Disposition of abandoned animals; notice to owner or agent; financial liability of owner or agent
(a) Any animal placed in the custody of a licensed veterinarian for the treatment, boarding, or other care which shall be unclaimed by its owner...
- Section 34-29-87 Partnership or employment in practice of veterinary medicine not to be for nonlicensed persons; exceptions
(a) Whenever the practice of veterinary medicine is carried on by a partnership, all partners shall be either licensed or holders of temporary licenses to...
- Section 34-29-88 Premise permits - Required; fees; inspection; revocation, etc.; closure and imposition of penalties; renewal; requirements for satellite on mobile clinics
(a) Any facility, including mobile clinics or any other premises where a licensed veterinarian practices shall have a premise permit issued by the board. Upon...
- Section 34-29-89 Premise permits - Display
Each person to whom a license or premise permit, or both, is issued shall keep such license or premise permit, or both, conspicuously displayed in...
- Section 34-29-90 Immunity of veterinarians from suit for emergency care of animals or human victims; nonliability to animal hospital
(a) Any licensed veterinarian who in good faith as a volunteer and without fee renders emergency care or treatment to a domestic animal shall not...
- Section 34-29-91 Eligibility for graduate of nonaccredited school to take examination
A person who is a graduate of a college of veterinary medicine not accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association shall be eligible to take...
- Section 34-29-92 Service of applicants as student preceptees for minimum period
The Alabama State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners may require that all applicants serve as a student preceptee working under the supervision of a veterinarian...
- Section 34-29-94 Veterinary technician licensing requirements; authorized acts; unlicensed assistants; emergency care; suspension, revocation of license; continuing education
(a) In order to obtain a license as a veterinary technician, the applicant shall do all of the following: (1) Submit a complete notarized application...
- Article 5 Impaired Veterinary Professionals.
- Article 6 Euthanasia in Animals.
- Section 34-29-130 Permit to purchase, possess, and use certain agents for euthanizing animals
(a) The State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, hereinafter called the board, shall adopt rules providing for the issuance of permits authorizing the purchase, possession,...
- Section 34-29-131 Exemptions
(a) The board shall provide by rule that sodium pentobarbital, a sodium pentobarbital derivative, or other authorized injectable agents that act on the central nervous...
- Section 34-29-132 Euthanasia in emergency situation
Whenever an emergency situation exists which requires the immediate euthanasia of an injured, diseased, or dangerous animal, a law enforcement officer, a veterinarian, or an...
- Section 34-29-133 Animals not to be left unattended until death; disposal of body upon confirmation of death
No animal may be left unattended between the time euthanasia procedures are first begun and the time that death occurs, nor may the body of...
- Section 34-29-134 Violations of article
(a) The Attorney General may bring action to enjoin any violation of this article. (b) Any person who violates this article shall be guilty of...
- Section 34-29-135 Relation to Section 34-29-94
Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 34-29-94, this article shall prevail in all cases in which there is a direct conflict.
Last modified: May 3, 2021