Crimes Relating to Animals - Restrictions on Keeping Roosters
Summary
SB 375 creates new statewide restrictions on keeping roosters, aimed at reducing cockfighting-related activity and addressing animal health concerns. Beginning January 1, 2027, a person generally may not keep roosters that are individually confined in an enclosure or tethered if the person keeps more than 5 roosters per acre or more than 25 roosters total on a single property, unless authorized by the Maryland Department of Agriculture. The bill defines key terms such as “rooster,” “enclosure,” and “property,” and it sets out several exceptions for commercial poultry producers, schools receiving state funds, government-operated animal shelters, animal welfare organizations, and certain 4-H/Future Farmers of America participants.
Impact
The bill adds new provisions to both the Agriculture Article and Criminal Law Article, creating a statewide regulatory framework for rooster-keeping limits and enforcement. It authorizes enforcement by state or local law enforcement and local animal control authorities, allows the Department of Agriculture to cooperate in enforcement, and requires the Department to adopt implementing regulations. Violations are treated as civil offenses with escalating penalties after a warning, and the bill preserves the ability of counties and municipalities to adopt stricter local rules. The measure takes effect October 1, 2025, with the substantive rooster-keeping limits beginning January 1, 2027.
Sentiment
The bill appears to have broad support and little recorded opposition. It passed the Senate unanimously on third reading and passed the House by a wide margin, indicating strong bipartisan agreement on the need to curb rooster confinement practices associated with cockfighting and animal disease concerns. The committee report was favorable with amendments, suggesting the proposal was generally accepted but refined during the legislative process.
Contention
The main policy tension is between animal welfare/public health enforcement and agricultural or hobbyist uses of roosters. Concerns likely centered on how to define and police “movement-constrained” roosters, how many birds should be allowed per acre or per property, and how to avoid burdening legitimate poultry activities. The bill addresses these concerns through exemptions for commercial poultry producers, schools, shelters, animal welfare organizations, and youth agricultural programs, as well as a provision allowing county authorization for certain 4-H/FFA participants and a proof-based exception for people who kept more hens than roosters in the prior six months.