(A) Not later than ninety days after receipt of an application under section 935.08 of the Revised Code, the director of agriculture shall issue or deny a restricted snake possession permit. The director shall issue a permit to an applicant only if all of the following apply:

(1) The applicant is eighteen years of age or older.

(2) The applicant has signed an affidavit attesting that the applicant will not allow members of the public to be in physical contact with a restricted snake possessed by the applicant. Division (A)(2) of this section does not apply to either of the following:

(a) An applicant that displays a restricted snake or snakes specified in division (L)(1) of section 935.01 of the Revised Code to a primary or secondary school age student;

(b) An employee of the applicant or a volunteer who has entered into a written agreement with the applicant to work for or volunteer for the applicant and assists in the care of a restricted snake or snakes possessed by the applicant if the care is provided under the direction of the applicant.

(3) The applicant has not been convicted of or pleaded guilty to a felony drug abuse offense, an offense of violence that is a felony, or a violation of section 959.13 or 959.131 of the Revised Code or of section 2927.21 of the Revised Code as that section existed prior to its repeal by S.B. 310 of the 129th general assembly, as determined by a criminal records check performed in accordance with division (B) of this section.

(4) The applicant has signed an affidavit attesting that the facility at which a restricted snake or snakes will be maintained under the permit and the conditions in which each restricted snake will be kept in that facility are in compliance with this chapter and rules.

(5) The applicant has submitted a complete application that meets the requirements established in section 935.08 of the Revised Code.

(6) The applicant has submitted the application fee established in section 935.08 of the Revised Code.

If a permit is issued, the director shall assign a unique identification number to the permit.

(B) Prior to issuing or denying a restricted snake possession permit, the director shall submit a request to the bureau of criminal identification and investigation in the office of the attorney general for a criminal records check of the applicant for the permit. Upon receipt of a request, the superintendent of the bureau shall conduct a criminal records check in the manner described in division (B) of section 109.572 of the Revised Code to determine whether any information exists that indicates that the applicant previously has been convicted of or pleaded guilty to any of the following:

(1) A felony drug abuse offense;

(2) An offense of violence that is a felony;

(3) A violation of section 959.13 or 959.131 of the Revised Code or of section 2927.21 of the Revised Code as that section existed prior to its repeal by S.B. 310 of the 129th general assembly.

The applicant is responsible for paying all costs associated with the criminal records check.

(C) If a permit application is denied, seventy-five dollars of the permit application fee shall be retained by the director as payment for the reasonable expense of processing the application, and the remainder of the fee shall be returned to the applicant.

(D) Not later than the first day of December of each year, a permit holder shall apply to the director, on a form prescribed and provided by the director, for a renewal of the permit if the permit holder intends to retain possession of the restricted snake or snakes that are identified in the permit. Not later than thirty days after receipt of an application for renewal, the director shall renew or deny the renewal of the permit. The director shall renew the permit if the permit holder complies with this chapter and rules and pays a renewal fee in the same amount as the fee established for the initial permit in section 935.08 of the Revised Code. If a renewal permit is denied, seventy-five dollars of the renewal fee shall be retained by the director as payment for the reasonable expense of processing the application, and the remainder of the renewal fee shall be returned to the applicant.

(E) If the director denies an application for a permit or a renewal of a permit, the director shall notify the person of the denial, the grounds for the denial, and the person's right to an adjudication under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code.

(F) If a person does not appeal the determination of the director to deny an application for a permit or a renewal of a permit or if the determination of the director is affirmed under Chapter 119. of the Revised Code, not later than thirty days after the decision not to appeal or after the determination is affirmed, as applicable, the person shall transfer the restricted snake or snakes that the person possesses to a humane society, wildlife sanctuary, facility that is an accredited member of either the association of zoos and aquariums or the zoological association of America, or facility that is located in another state and that complies with that state's applicable laws. After the transfer has occurred, the person shall submit proof to the director that the restricted snake or snakes were transferred and shall specify the society, sanctuary, or facility to which the snake or snakes were transferred.

The person is responsible for all costs associated with the transfer of the restricted snake or snakes.

(G) If a person that has been issued a restricted snake possession permit under this section or a restricted snake propagation permit under section 935.10 of the Revised Code dies, the person's next of kin shall do one of the following:

(1) If the next of kin wishes to possess the restricted snake or snakes, obtain a restricted snake possession permit under this section or a restricted snake propagation permit under section 935.10 of the Revised Code, as applicable. That next of kin shall comply with this chapter and rules, except that, with respect to the next of kin's initial permit, the person need not pay the applicable permit application fee.

(2) If the deceased person has a last will and testament that specifies that the restricted snake or snakes possessed by the person are to be transferred to another person that has been issued a restricted snake possession permit under this section or a restricted snake propagation permit issued under section 935.10 of the Revised Code, transfer the restricted snake or snakes to the applicable permit holder;

(3) Transfer the restricted snake or snakes that were possessed by the deceased person in accordance with division (F) of this section.

(H) All fees collected under this section shall be credited to the dangerous and restricted animal fund created in section 935.25 of the Revised Code.

Added by 129th General AssemblyFile No.113, SB 310, §1, eff. 9/5/2012.