Assembly BillPassed first houseFood and Agriculture
AB 631: Animals: animal shelters: transparency.
What AB 631 does, verified December 13, 2025
This bill requires animal shelters to collect and record information on the number of animals taken in, their source of intake, and their outcomes. The information must be updated at least once per quarter and made publicly available online or upon request. The information will remain accessible for at least 5 years. This requirement applies to all animal shelters, including those with and without internet websites. The state will reimburse local agencies for costs mandated by the state if the commission determines that the bill contains such costs.
Bill journey
✓IntroducedComplete
✓In CommitteeComplete
✓First Chamber FloorComplete
4Second ChamberCurrent
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: In committee: Held under submission. (2025-08-29)Alert me
Author and sponsors
Full contact details, staff, and committees with Connect, $16/moUnlockRecent actions18 total · showing 5
| Aug. 29, 2025 | In committee: Held under submission. |
| Aug. 18, 2025 | In committee: Referred to suspense file. |
| Jul. 14, 2025 | From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (July 14). Re-referred to Com. on APPR. |
| Jul. 09, 2025 | From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on B. P. & E.D. |
| Jun. 09, 2025 | In committee: Set, first hearing. Testimony taken. Further hearing to be set. |
Latest bill textAmended version, July 9, 2025 · 945 words
| Amended IN Senate July 09, 2025 |
| Amended IN Senate May 28, 2025 |
| Amended IN Assembly April 02, 2025 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 631
| Introduced by Assembly Member Lee |
February 13, 2025 |
An act to add Section 32004 to the Food and Agricultural Code, relating to animals.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 631, as amended, Lee. Animals: animal shelters: transparency.
Existing law requires all public and private animal shelters to keep accurate records on each animal taken up, medically treated, or impounded, as specified.
This bill would require animal shelters, as defined, to collect and record the number of animals taken in, the source of intake, and the outcomes for all animals, as specified. The bill would require this information to be updated at least once per quarter. The bill would require animal shelters with internet websites to post this information on their internet websites and would require that this information remain publicly accessible for at least 5 years. The bill would require animal shelters that do not have internet websites to make this information publicly available, upon request, for at least 5 years.
To the extent that this bill would impose a new program or higher level of service on public animal control agencies or shelters, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(1) The official state pet is the shelter pet, demonstrating that Californians care deeply about the welfare of shelter animals.
(2) Public or private animal control agencies or shelters, societies for the prevention of cruelty to animal shelters, humane society shelters, and rescue groups perform invaluable work to protect the welfare of animals in our communities.
(3) These organizations not only provide critical care and safe refuge for animals in need but also play a vital role in addressing the pet overpopulation crisis through rescue, rehabilitation, and adoption services and spay and neuter programs.
(4) These organizations’ dedication helps reduce stray animal populations, prevent unnecessary euthanasia, and promote responsible pet ownership, ultimately contributing to healthier, more compassionate communities.
(5) Accurate public reporting on data related to animal intake and outcomes is important to evaluate the effectiveness of existing policy, make evidence-based decisions, and move towards impactful goals to improve animal welfare statewide.
(b) It is the intent of this act to require public and private animal control agencies and shelters, societies for the prevention of cruelty to animal shelters, and humane society shelters to report specified data, and to strongly encourage rescue groups to report specified data.
SECTION 1.SEC. 2.
32004.
(a) For purposes of this section,(1) “Animal
shelter”(2) “Rescue group” means a for-profit or not-for-profit entity with at least one of its purposes being the sale or placement of animals that have been removed from a public or private animal control agency or shelter, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals shelter, or humane society shelter, or that have been previously owned by a person other than the original breeder of that animal.
(b) An animal shelter shall collect and record all of the following information:
(1) The number of animals taken in with separate categories for dogs, cats, and other animals.
(2) The source of intake separated by category, including, but not limited to, stray animals, surrendered by owner, or transferred from another animal shelter.
(3) The outcomes for all animals separated by category, including, but not limited to, returned to owner, adopted, transferred to another organization, euthanized, died in care, or dead upon arrival.
(c) The information required to be collected and recorded pursuant to subdivision (b) shall be updated at least once per quarter and shall be handled as follows:
(1) If an animal shelter has an internet website, the animal shelter shall post the information on its internet website and the information shall remain publicly accessible on the internet website for at least five years.
(2) If an animal shelter does not have an internet website, the animal shelter shall make the information publicly available, upon request, for at least five years.
(d) For the purpose of developing a holistic picture of the pet overpopulation crisis, rescue groups are encouraged to comply with subdivisions (b) and (c).
(d)
(e) Animal shelters and rescue groups with local contracts for animal care are encouraged to make the information available in a downloadable spreadsheet format that may include, but is not limited to, a comma-separated values file or a tab-separated values file and that is compatible with a spreadsheet software application that is widely used at the time of the posting.
SEC. 2.SEC. 3.
Text of AB 631 as amended, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions