Petting Zoo Operator Page

On February 13, 2020 the Summit County Board of Health adopted a resolution allowing for the permitting of petting zoos. The code is intended to protect the public from potential disease transmission when interacting with animals in a public setting.

Types of Permits

  • Permanent- permanent events, open farms or premises where contact is permitted between animals and members of the public, whether a fee is charged or not.
  • Mobile- a petting zoo that can travel from place to place for the purposes of education and/or entertainment.
  • Temporary- petting zoos lasting no longer than seven (7) consecutive days.

To operate in our jurisdiction the application must be submitted by April 1 of each calendar year for permanent and mobile petting zoos, and at least five days before any temporary event.

Requirements

All operators are to provide including but not limited to; hand-washing stations or hand sanitizer stations, adequate barriers between the animals and the general public (unless the animal is under the control of a staff member), provide informational handouts and signs about the dangers associated with eating in animal areas and hand to mouth contact without hand-washing after contact with animals, a first aid kit, proper ground cover and keep a clean, sanitary and safe environment for the animals and general public.

For all petting zoo requirements, please review the complete Environmental Code 604 

 

Important Documents

 

 

page updated 04/23/2024