Drafted and announced in Order Fu-Shou-Fa-Gui No. 1010111316 of July 2, 2012
Revised in Order Fu-Shou-Fa-Gui No. 1040105403 of May 15, 2015
Revised in Order Fu-Shou-Fa-Gui No. 10502410261 of November 11, 2018
Revised in Order Fu-Shou-Fa-Gui No. 1080108189  of May 16, 2018

Article 1 Taichung City ("this city") has drafted this autonomous statute expressly to respect the lives of animals, enhance animal welfare, maintain public safety, and strengthen owners' responsibility for pet management.

Article 2　The competent authority of this autonomous statute is the Department of Agriculture, Taichung City Government ("Department of Agriculture"), and its implementing organization is the Taichung City Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office.

Article 3 　Terms used in this autonomous statute are defined as follows:
1. Animals: Refers to dogs, cats, and other vertebrate animals raised or tended by people, and includes economic animals, experimental animals, pets, and other animals.
2. Owners: Refers to animals' owners and persons actually in charge of animals.
3. Pets: Refers to dogs, cats, and other animals raised or tended for the purpose of enjoyment or companionship.

Article 4 　When owners bring pets into public places or places open to the public, they must use a leash, carrier, or other appropriate preventive measure in accordance with the size and type of their pet.
　　 In the case of pets without appropriate preventive measures, when necessary, the Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office may take such animals into its protection and transport them to an animal shelter or location designated by an animal shelter.
      Owners who bring their pets into premises exclusively for use by animals may follow the premises' use regulations, and shall not be subject to the restrictions of Paragraph 1.

Article 5   Pet owners who are obligated to perform pet registration must complete registration within 2 months after the day on which their pet was born, acquired, or transferred into their care. Owners must take their pets to the Health Inspection Office or designated premises to perform pet registration, and should have a microchip implanted, and obtain proof of pet registration.

Article 6   Employers should prevent workers from slaughtering dogs or cats, or selling, purchasing, consuming, or possessing the carcasses, internal organs, or foods containing dogs or cats in dormitories or other spaces provided by the employer.
In the foregoing paragraph, the employer shall be determined on the basis of the employment relationship at the time of the worker's actions.

Article 7 　The Agriculture Bureau of Taichung City Government should establish a review committee in order to review animal rescue, shelter, emergency veterinary care expenses; the Agriculture Bureau shall draft guidelines for the establishment of this committee.

Article 8 　Members of the public who adopt or claim a dog or cat from the city's animal shelters shall be exempt from the following expenses:
1. Adoption of a stray dog or cat: Pet microchip expenses, implantation procedure expenses, pet registration expenses, and rabies vaccination expenses.
2. Claiming a pet dog or cat by an owner: Pet registration expenses and rabies vaccination expenses.
　　　 To encourage city residents to register, spay/neuter, and perform microchipping of their pets, the Department of Agriculture may subsidize relevant expenses.
The Department of Agriculture shall announce the types of pets eligible for subsidized registration and spaying/neutering in the previous paragraph, and the expense thereof.
Article 9 　The Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office shall establish animal protection inspectors, who shall bear responsibility for handling of animal protection cases and interdiction of animal cruelty and injury cases and use of leghold traps in their area of jurisdiction.
　　 When implementing the duties in the previous paragraph, animal protection inspectors may request assistance from police personnel.
　　 The Department of Agriculture may request that the police bureau reward police personnel demonstrating superior performance while assisting implementation of the matters in the previous paragraph.
Article 10 Members of public may report violations of the Animal Protection Act, this autonomous statute, and other relevant laws and regulations to the Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office, and clearly state the facts or submit evidential information; the Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office may provide rewards in such cases.
　　 After the Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office discovers violations or receives reports of violations as specified in the previous paragraph, animal protection inspectors may, in conjunction with police personnel, enter public premises or places open to the public or private premises to perform investigation, interdiction, and emergency protection and placement of abused animals. However, in the case of private premises, investigation, interdiction, and emergency protection and placement of abused animals in private premises may be performed only after obtaining the consent of the premises' owner, statutory responsible person, or manager.
　　 When the implementing personnel are performing the duties in the previous paragraph, they must present documents proving that they are implementing their official duties or display insignia sufficient to permit identification.

Article 11 　The Department of Agriculture may guide, assist, and commission private organizations or groups in the establishment of animal shelters; when necessary, the Department of Agriculture shall coordinate the provision of publicly-owned land by relevant units to provide a location for a stray dog shelter.
Schools at all levels, private organizations, or groups may submit proposals to the Department of Agriculture when applying for subsidies or when commissioned to conduct relevant animal protection and disease prevention tasks, including animal adoption, spay/neuter, rescue, shelter management, and animal protection education and awareness.
　　 The Department of Agriculture may provide rewards to those schools, private organizations, and groups received subsidies or commissioned in the previous paragraph who demonstrate superior performance, and the Department of Agriculture shall draft relevant reward regulations.

Article 12 　For-profit enterprises engaging in the breeding, sale, or boarding of specific pets may apply to the city government for permits in accordance with pet industry management regulations; such enterprises may engage in business only after performing business registration.
　　　　 The enterprises in the previous paragraph must obtain membership in this city's pet business association within one month after beginning operation.
　　　　 The business association in the previous paragraph must assist the Department of Agriculture in assisting its members to promote animal protection work.

Article 13   The city government shall establish an animal welfare fund in order to improve the welfare of animals in this city.
　　　　　  The Department of Agriculture shall draft regulations concerning the collection, disbursement, custody, and use of monies in the fund in the previous paragraph.

Article 14 　Delete.

Article 14-1　Schools at the level of high school and below may assign personnel to participate in animal protection education workshops held by the Health Inspection Office or groups that it has commissioned. The participating personnel may be given incentives for their participation.
In the foregoing paragraph, the Agriculture Bureau shall determine guidelines concerning commissioned implementation and incentives.

Article 15 　Those employers who violate the requirements of Article 6, Paragraph 2 shall be subject to fines of from NT$15,000 to NT$75,000. When employees have committed violations, their employers shall be exempt from punishment if they can provide evidence that they had fulfilled their educational and awareness responsibilities.
　　　　　 The fulfillment of educational and awareness responsibilities in the previous paragraph refers to methods such as the placement of awareness posters or holding of awareness classes concerning law by the employer; the employer must ensure that employees are aware of relevant laws and regulations, and should have a written or audiovisual record.

Article 16 　Those who violate the requirements of Article 5 shall be subject to fines of from NT$10,000 to NT$50,000.

Article 17 　Those premise owners, statutory responsible persons, and managers who violate Article 10, Paragraph 2 by evading, obstructing, or refusing investigation, interdiction, or emergency protection and placement of abused animals by animal protection inspectors shall be subject to fines of from NT$10,000 to NT$50,000.

Article 18 　Those who violate the requirements of Article 4, Paragraph 1 and fail to make improvements within a limited time period after being exhorted and ordered to do so by the Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office shall be subject to fines of from NT$3,000 to NT$15,000, and may be fined according to the number of violations.

Article 19 　This autonomous statute shall take effect upon the day of announcement.