SB262 Summary

• Prohibits leaving a domestic animal in an unattended motor vehicle in a manner that creates an unreasonable risk of injury or harm; vehicles with interior temperatures of 99 degrees Fahrenheit or less are presumed safe.

• Provides criminal immunity to persons who forcibly enter a motor vehicle to rescue a domestic animal if they meet specific requirements, including contacting a public safety official beforehand and using only necessary force.

• Grants civil and criminal immunity to animal owners if their pet injures a person during a rescue operation conducted under the bill's provisions.

• Amends Section 13A-11-241 to establish "cruelty to an animal in the second degree" as a Class A misdemeanor for leaving a domestic animal unattended in a motor vehicle creating unreasonable risk of harm.

• Requires public safety officials responding to reports of animals in unattended vehicles to immediately dispatch a locksmith or towing service and dispatch an official with domestic animal experience; becomes effective three months after passage.