Agencies
Services
Animal Health & Welfare
Animal Health and Welfare Alerts
The link above is used to distribute alerts and animal health information to veterinarians, producers, and industry stakeholders.
Diseases on this list are required to be reported to the Bureau of Animal Health and Welfare. The reporting requirements and reporting form can be found on the Reportable Diseases page by clicking the link above.
This section is focused on animal welfare licensees and affiliated regulations and information for the Animal Welfare Act, Animal Control Act, and Humane Care for Animals Act.
- Provides information on applying for a license with the Bureau of Animal Health and Welfare
- Animal welfare laws, listing of licensees, and annual required reports
- Approved Humane Investigator Training dates and requirements
- Swap meet reporting requirements
How to report animal-related complaints
- Fill out and return the Animal Health and Welfare Complaint Form to agr.bahw.dockets@illinois.gov.
- If this is an emergency or pertains to a privately owned animal (not a facility licensed by the Bureau of Animal Health and Welfare) you should contact your local authorities FIRST. The local authority to contact would be Animal Control or local law enforcement.
- If you are unsure if your concern should be reported to the Illinois Department of Agriculture or local authorities, please contact us at (217) 782-4944 for further guidance.
How to report an animal running at large
The Illinois Domestic Animals Running at Large Act (510 ILCS 55) provides law enforcement officials such as State Police, County Sheriffs, municipal officers, animal control administrators, authorized agents of the Illinois Department of Agriculture or Natural Resources, and even the owner/occupier of land the authority to give notice and cause stray animals which trespass to be impounded while following specific requirements in the Illinois Domestic Animals Running at Large Act.
The Department directs all running-at-large complaints to local authorities. The Illinois Department of Agriculture has limited staff and local authorities are better situated to handle complaints in a timely and effective manner. The Illinois Domestic Animals Running at Large Act provides local officials the authority to administer the provision of the Act.
This section focuses primarily on animal health information to include the following:
- Links to species-specific information for livestock producers and companion animals
- Includes links to information on the National Poultry Improvement Plan (NPIP) and Swine Health Improvement Plan (SHIP)
- Animal Disease Traceability - livestock premises registration and information on identification/tags
- Animal health laws and animal disease traceability information
- Stock contractor requirements and livestock exhibition requirements
- Brand Book
Links to the Veterinary Feed Directive, Accreditation, Electronic CVIs, and information on laboratory services and ways to become involved in emergency preparedness and response.
Livestock imports must meet Illinois requirements and comply with Federal interstate regulations. All livestock entering Illinois, and consignments to Illinois auction markets, federally approved markets, and recognized slaughtering establishments shall be accompanied by a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection (CVI) and/or permit. ILLINOIS NO LONGER ACCEPTS THE APHIS 7001 FORM. Click on "Animal Imports" above to learn more.
The United States Government's National Response Framework (NRF) guides how the nation works together to provide a unified response to emergencies and disasters. Under this guide, different functions are defined and roles assigned. The Illinois Department of Agriculture provides support under Emergency Support Function #11. Find out more at the link above.
For more information about these and other animal programs administered by the Department, contact:
Illinois Department of Agriculture
Bureau of Animal Health and Welfare
P.O. Box 19281
State Fairgrounds
Springfield, IL 62794-9281
217-782-4944
TDD: 866-287-2999
FAX: 217-558-6033