Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 45, November 9, 2024
Section 28a.4 - Humidity levels(a)General standards. A kennel and kennel housing facility, where a dog is housed, kept or present, including primary enclosures must meet the following humidity levels:(1)Temperatures below 85° Fahrenheit. When temperatures in the kennel or kennel housing facility, where any dog is housed, kept or present, including primary enclosures, are below 85° Fahrenheit, relative humidity levels shall be kept between 30% and 70%.(2)Temperatures above 85° Fahrenheit. When temperatures, in any part of the kennel or kennel housing facility, where a dog is housed, kept or present, including primary enclosures, rise above 85° Fahrenheit, the relative humidity level shall be reduced to a level that will accomplish a Heat Index value of 85 or lower.(3)Four-hour window. Once the temperature in any part of the kennel or kennel housing facility, where a dog is housed, kept or present, exceeds 85° Fahrenheit, the kennel owner shall have 4 hours to accomplish and maintain a Heat Index of 85 HI or lower, as required under paragraph (2). At no time during that 4-hour time period or at any other time shall the Heat Index value ever exceed 90 HI in any area, room or part of the kennel or housing facility, where a dog is housed kept or present, including primary enclosures. If within 4 hours, the kennel owner is unable to accomplish and maintain a Heat Index of 85 HI or lower, the kennel owner shall immediately notify the kennel's veterinarian and consult on the steps to be taken to protect the health and well being of the dogs, as well as contemporaneously keep the records required under § 28a.2(g)(2)(ii)-(iii) (relating to ventilation). If such a failure to accomplish and maintain a Heat Index of 85 HI or lower exceeds 24 hours, the kennel owner shall contact the Department in the manner prescribed and provide it with the information required under § 28a.2(g)(3) and (4).(4)Calculation of HI. (i) The tool that shall be utilized to determine the HI value and thereby the proper humidity levels when temperatures rise above 85° Fahrenheit shall be the Temperature and Humidity Index of the National Weather Service or its successor standard. This is also available at the National Weather Service web site at http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ and then search HI; the HI Calculator is located at http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/html/heatindex.shtml.(ii) A chart setting forth the Heat Index values is set forth in Appendix A. (Examples of the Heat Index values are: 86° Fahrenheit and 40% humidity = HI of 85° Fahrenheit; and 90° Fahrenheit and 20% humidity = HI of 86° Fahrenheit.)(5)Condensation. Humidity levels, other than during times of cleaning and sanitizing, may not rise to the level where condensation occurs in any area of the kennel, kennel housing facility or primary enclosures where a dog is housed, kept or present.(b)Measurement and control standards. (1) Temperature and humidity levels shall be measured in each area or room within the kennel and housing facility where a dog is housed, kept or present and shall be measured and recorded by either a humidity gauge and a temperature gauge or by a thermo-hygrometer, which shall be installed in each room of the kennel and housing facility in which a dog is housed, kept or present.(2) The measuring devices will be provided by and be the property of the Department and meet the following minimum standards:(i) The device will not require hard wiring, and may be operated by batteries.(ii) The device will store temperature and humidity data on an hourly basis and for a time period of at least 6 months.(iii) The device will be rated as accurate to within 1° Fahrenheit.(iv) The device will be rated as accurate to within plus or minus 2% relative humidity from 10% to 90% relative humidity.(3) Evidence of humidity control devices shall be either dedicated dehumidifiers in each room and area of the kennel and housing facility in which a dog is housed, kept or present or may be air conditioning equipment. The equipment utilized must have documented dehumidification capability.(4) If air conditioning is utilized, the cooling capacity shall be at least 35 Btu/hr per square foot (1 ton of cooling for every 350 square feet) of animal area as demonstrated by nameplate cooling capability on the cooling equipment.(5) The humidity gauge and temperature gauge or thermo-hygrometer installed and provided by the Department may not be tampered with, destroyed, incapacitated, reset or disturbed, including downloading of data, by any person other than a State dog warden or an authorized employee of the Department.(6) If such a device is tampered with, destroyed, incapacitated, reset or disturbed, it shall be the responsibility of the kennel owner to notify the Department within 24 hours on normal business days and by 9:00 a.m. of the next Department business day if the occurrence is on a weekend or holiday.(7) The Department will remove and have the device checked for proper calibration and accuracy according to manufacturer specifications. The Department will replace any removed device with an accurate and properly calibrated humidity and temperature gauge or thermo-hygrometer.(8) Data taken from these devices may not be used as the sole basis for a civil penalty or criminal penalty under section 903(a) or (b) of the act (3 P. S. § 459-903(a) and (b)) for violation of this section. This section cited in 7 Pa. Code § 28a.2 (relating to ventilation); and 7 Pa. Code § 28a.3 (relating to auxiliary ventilation).