USDA Animal Care Search Tool

The USDA Animal Care Public Search Tool may be used by the public to query information pertaining to facilities, inspections, and annual reports. The refined Public Search Tool provides access to Animal Welfare Act compliance records and it allows APHIS to make animal welfare information publicly available and ensure compliance with all applicable laws**.

APHIS’ Animal Care program is responsible for the day-to-day administration of the AWA, including establishing acceptable standards of humane care and treatment for regulated animals and monitoring and achieving compliance through inspections, enforcement, education, and cooperative efforts. The AWA and its associated regulations seek to ensure the humane handling, care, treatment, and transportation of certain warmblooded animals used or intended for use in research, exhibition, or as pets. Animal dealers and exhibitors must obtain a license, and research facilities, carriers, and intermediate handlers must obtain a registration. Animal Care inspectors conduct inspections of licensee and registrant animals, records, and facilities to assess compliance with the AWA and its regulations, and document their observations and professional assessments in inspection reports. Licensees and registrants must notify Animal Care of changes in their operations and file periodic updates with Animal Care, including annual reports of animal use by research facilities.

This Public Search Tool provides a list of persons licensed and registered under the AWA, inspection reports, and research facility animal use annual reports. Individuals or businesses seeking information or records that are not available through this Public Search Tool may be able to find what they are looking for elsewhere on APHIS’ website at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/animalwelfare, or by submitting a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Information on how to submit a FOIA request to APHIS can be found at https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/resources/foia.

APHIS is offering this USDA Animal Care Public Search Tool to the public to provide information on APHIS’ performance of its statutory duties under the Animal Welfare Act, in accordance with all applicable laws** .  A comprehensive User Guide for the USDA Animal Care Public Search Tool is available at /media/17169 (2.18 MB). A demo video is also available to demonstrate how to use the tool to query information pertaining to facilities, inspections, teachable moments, and annual reports. The public may also request additional Animal Welfare Act records from APHIS through the Freedom of Information Act.

** See, e.g. ,Animal Legal Def. Fund v. United States Dep’t of Agric., 17-CV-00949-WHO, 2017 WL2352009 (N.D. Cal., May 31, 2017) (360.1 KB) and Animal Legal Def. Fund, v. United States Dep’t of Agric., 17-CV-00949-WHO (N.D. Cal., August 14, 2017) (199.09 KB)