State Laws Requiring Hand Sanitation Stations at Animal Contact Exhibits—United States, March–April 2016

In the United States, animal contact exhibits, such as petting zoos and agricultural fairs, have been sources of zoonotic infections, including infections with Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Cryptosporidium (1–4). The National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians recommends handwashing after contact with animals as an effective prevention measure to disease transmission at these exhibits (4). This report provides a list of states that have used law, specifically statutes and regulations, as public health interventions to increase hand sanitation at animal contact exhibits. The report is based on an assessment conducted by CDC’s Public Health Law Program, in collaboration with the Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases in CDC’s National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases. The assessment found that seven states have used statutes or regulations to require hand sanitation stations at these exhibits (5). Jurisdictions seeking to improve rates of hand sanitation at animal contact exhibits can use this report as a resource in developing their own legal interventions.

A list of statutes and regulations was compiled using WestlawNext, an online legal research database, from March 17 to April 1, 2016. Before searching the database, literature on animal contact exhibits was examined to identify potential search terms. Search strings were created to capture the various terms used by states to refer to animal contact exhibits in their law. Only animal contact exhibit laws that specifically referenced hand sanitation were included in the assessment. The search was conducted in all 50 states and the District of Columbia and documented in a detailed research procedure. Relevant laws were then analyzed and coded. On June 2016, the findings of the assessment were emailed to public health veterinarians in 50 states and the District of Columbia. They were asked to contact the research team if applicable laws were overlooked. None of the jurisdictions indicated that laws were overlooked in the assessment.

Seven states (New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Utah, Washington, and Wisconsin) have laws requiring animal contact exhibits to provide hand sanitation stations (Table). However, state laws vary regarding the types of exhibits to which the requirements apply. For example, North Carolina’s laws apply to all animal contact exhibits, including petting zoos, pony rides, and poultry handling exhibits. Wisconsin’s law, however, applies only to petting zoos located at campgrounds.

Laws in four of the seven states (New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin) specify where the handwashing stations must be located in relation to the exhibit. These provisions vary as to the specific location. For example, North Carolina requires that a handwashing station be located within 10 feet (3 meters) of the exit of the exhibit when feasible, whereas Pennsylvania requires that the station be conveniently located on the animal exhibition grounds.

All seven states require that animal contact exhibits have signs recommending hand sanitation, or indicating the health risk for contact with animals. Four states (New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin) require that signs indicating the location of the hand sanitation stations be placed at the exhibit.

The statutory or regulatory code in all seven states authorizes penalties against operators of animal contact exhibits for noncompliance with hand sanitation station laws. For example, in Pennsylvania, noncompliance is subject to a civil penalty of $500. In Wisconsin, campground petting zoo operators who are in violation are subject to suspension or revocation of their permits.

Acknowledgments

Tara Ramanathan and Matthew Penn.

Corresponding author: Aila Hoss, ahoss@cdc.gov, 404-498-0546.

¹Public Health Law Program, Office for State, Tribal, Local and Territorial Support, CDC; ²Outbreak Response and Prevention Branch, Division of Foodborne, Waterborne, and Environmental Diseases, National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases, CDC; ³Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge, Tennessee; ⁴Epidemic Intelligence Service, CDC; ⁵Preventive Medicine Residency and Fellowship, CDC.

References

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4. National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians Animal Contact Compendium Committee 2013. Compendium of measures to prevent disease associated with animals in public settings, 2013. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2013;243:1270–88. CrossRef PubMed
5. CDC Office for State. Tribal, Local, Territorial Support, Public Health Law Program. Menu of state hand sanitation laws for animal contact exhibits. Atlanta, GA: Office for State, Tribal, Local, Territorial Support, Public Health Law Program, CDC; 2016. https://www.cdc.gov/phlp/docs/menu-animalsanition.pdf
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7. Moulton AD, Goodman RA, Parmet WE. Perspective: law and great public health achievements. In: Goodman RA, Hoffman RE, Lopez W, Matthews GW, Rothstein MA, Foster KL, eds. Law in public health practice. 2nd ed. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 2007:3–21.

TABLE. Laws requiring hand sanitation stations at animal contact exhibits in seven states — United States, March–April 2016

* New Jersey’s law recommends and requires handwashing stations for commercial farms seeking to receive the protections of the New Jersey Right to Farm Act, NJSA 4:1C-1 et seq.
^† New Jersey’s law does not specifically mention signs but requires that visitors be advised to sanitize their hands, which is likely done via signage.
^§ Per N.Y. McKinney’s General Business Law ^§ 399-ff, which applies to petting zoos in the state, New York’s law requires recommending hand sanitation to patrons.