(A) As used in this section:

(1) "Controlled substance" has the same meaning as in section 3719.01 of the Revised Code.

(2) "Law enforcement agency" means the state highway patrol, the office of a county sheriff, the police department of a municipal corporation or township, or a township or joint police district.

(3) "Law enforcement canine" means a dog regularly utilized by a law enforcement agency for general law enforcement purposes, tracking, or detecting the presence of a controlled substance or explosive.

(B) Instead of obtaining an annual registration under section 955.01 of the Revised Code, a law enforcement agency owning, keeping, or harboring a law enforcement canine may obtain an annual registration for the dog as a law enforcement canine under this section. The application for a law enforcement canine registration shall be submitted to the county auditor of the county in which the central office of the law enforcement agency that owns, keeps, or harbors the dog is located, except that for a dog owned, kept, or harbored by the state highway patrol, the application shall be submitted to the county auditor of the county in which is located the state highway patrol post to which the dog and its handler primarily are assigned. The application shall be submitted on or after the first day of December immediately preceding the beginning of the registration year and before the thirty-first day of January of that year. If the period for filing registration applications under division (A)(1) of section 955.01 of the Revised Code is extended in the county in which a law enforcement canine is to be registered, an application for registration under this section shall be submitted to the county auditor not later than the registration deadline for that year, as so extended.

The application for registration of a law enforcement canine shall state the age, sex, hair color, character of hair, whether short or long, and breed, if known, of the dog, the name and address of the owner of the dog, and, if the law enforcement agency keeping or harboring the dog is different from the owner, the name of that law enforcement agency. For a dog owned, kept, or harbored by the police department of a municipal corporation or township or by a township or joint police district, the application shall be signed by the chief of the police department or district. For a dog owned, kept, or harbored by the office of a county sheriff, the application shall be signed by the sheriff. For a dog owned, kept, or harbored by the state highway patrol, the application shall be signed by the officer in charge of the post of the state highway patrol to which the dog and its handler primarily are assigned. The application shall include a certification by the chief of the police department or district, sheriff, or officer of the state highway patrol post, as applicable, that the dog described in the application has been properly trained to carry out one or more of the purposes described in division (A)(3) of this section and actually is used for one or more of those purposes by the law enforcement agency making the application.

No fee is required for issuance of a law enforcement canine registration. Upon proper proof of loss, a duplicate certificate and tag shall be issued for a dog registered under this section, and no fee shall be required.

If an application for registration of a law enforcement canine is not filed under this section on or before the thirty-first day of January of the registration year, or the extended registration deadline established under division (A)(1) of section 955.01 of the Revised Code, as applicable, the law enforcement canine shall be registered under that section, and the registration fee and late registration penalty applicable under divisions (A) and (B) of that section shall accompany the application.

(C) If a law enforcement agency becomes the owner, keeper, or harborer of a law enforcement canine or brings a law enforcement canine into the state after the thirty-first day of January of a registration year or the extended registration deadline established under division (A)(1) of section 955.01 of the Revised Code, as applicable, the law enforcement agency, within thirty days after becoming the owner, keeper, or harborer or bringing the dog into the state, may submit an application for registration of the dog under this section. Upon submission of the application, the law enforcement agency shall be issued such a registration in the manner provided in division (B) of this section. If such an application is not filed within the thirty-day period, the dog shall be registered under section 955.05 of the Revised Code, and the registration fee and late registration penalty applicable under that section or section 955.06 of the Revised Code shall accompany the application.

Amended by 129th General AssemblyFile No.28, HB 153, §101.01, eff. 9/29/2011.

Effective Date: 06-01-1998