(a) An animal control officer, as defined in Section 830.9 of the Penal Code, a humane officer qualified pursuant to Section 14502 or 14503 of the Corporations Code, or a peace officer who detects a violation of Sections 122380 to 122385, inclusive, if he or she decides the violation warrants formal action, shall issue a single notice to correct that shall contain all of the following information:

(1) Specify each violation of this chapter found in the inspection.

(2) Identify the corrective action for each violation.

(3) Include a specific period of time during which the listed violation or violations are to be corrected.

(b) After issuing a notice to correct pursuant to this section, the officer or another qualified officer of the issuing agency shall verify compliance with this chapter by conducting a subsequent investigation of the pet boarding facility within a reasonable period of time.

(c) An exact, legible copy of the notice to correct shall be delivered to the pet boarding facility operator at the time he or she signs the notice. In the alternative, the issuing agency may personally deliver the notice to the operator within 48 hours of its issuance, excluding holidays and weekends. The signing of the notice is an acknowledgment of receipt and does not constitute an admission of guilt.

(d) A pet boarding facility operator who is verified to have complied with a notice to correct shall not be subject to subdivision (g).

(e) A pet boarding facility operator who violates the same provision of this chapter on more than one occasion within a five-year period is not eligible to receive a notice to correct, and is guilty of an infraction on the second violation, and is guilty of a misdemeanor on the third or subsequent violation.

(f) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), a pet boarding facility operator that causes or allows harm or injury to an animal, or allows an animal to be subject to an unreasonable risk of harm or injury is guilty of a misdemeanor.

(g) Except as provided in subdivisions (e) and (f), a pet boarding facility operator who violates any provision of this chapter is guilty of an infraction punishable by a fine not to exceed two hundred fifty dollars ($250) for the first violation and by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000) for each subsequent violation. The court shall weigh the gravity of the offense in setting the penalty.

(Added by Stats. 2016, Ch. 364, Sec. 1. (SB 945) Effective January 1, 2017.)