47-417. Adoption of brands; registration of brands; registration and renewal fees; forfeited brands; abandonment; rules and regulations.
(a) Any person may adopt a brand for the purpose of branding livestock in accordance with authorized rules and regulations of the animal health commissioner of the Kansas department of agriculture division of animal health. Such person shall have the exclusive right to use such brand in this state, after registering such brand with the animal health commissioner.
(b) Any person desiring to register a livestock brand shall forward to the commissioner a facsimile of such brand and shall accompany the same with the registration fee in the amount provided under this section. Each person making application for the registering of an available livestock brand shall be issued a certificate of brand title. Such brand title shall be valid for a period ending four years subsequent to the next April 1 following date of issuance.
(c) For the purpose of revising the brand records, the animal health commissioner shall collect a renewal fee in the amount provided under this section on all brands upon which the recording period expires. Any person submitting such renewal fee shall be entitled to a renewal of registration of such person’s livestock brand for a five-year period from the date of expiration of registration of such person’s livestock brand as shown by such person’s last certificate of brand title.
(d) The livestock brand of any person whose registration expires and who fails to pay such renewal fee within a grace period of 60 days after expiration of the registration period shall be forfeited. The use of a forfeited brand shall be unlawful.
(e) Upon the forfeiture of a livestock brand, the animal health commissioner is authorized to receive and accept an application for such brand to the same extent as if such brand had never been issued to anyone as a registered brand.
(f) The animal health commissioner shall determine annually the amount of funds which will be required for the purposes for which the brand registration and renewal fees are charged and collected and shall fix and adjust from time to time each such fee in such reasonable amount as may be necessary for such purposes, except that in no case shall either the brand registration fee or the renewal fee exceed $55. The amounts of the brand registration fee and the renewal fee in effect on the day preceding the effective date of this act shall continue in effect until the animal health commissioner fixes different amounts for such fees under this section.
History: L. 1939, ch. 222, § 4; L. 1939, ch. 223, § 1; L. 1947, ch. 298, § 4; L. 1951, ch. 313, § 1; L. 1957, ch. 302, § 1; L. 1958, ch. 16, § 1 (Special Session); L. 1961, ch. 253, § 1; L. 1972, ch. 198, § 1; L. 1978, ch. 205, § 1; L. 1982, ch. 223, § 1; L. 1988, ch. 186, § 1; L. 1991, ch. 152, § 3; L. 1996, ch. 90, § 3; L. 2012, ch. 140, § 15; L. 2016, ch. 51, § 5; July 1.