Sale, offer for sale, barter or gift of live turtles; requirements.
Oklahoma City Municipal Code § 8-229
in effect§ 8-229. - Sale, offer for sale, barter or gift of live turtles; requirements.
(a) Requirements for lawful sale, offer of sale, barter or gift of live turtles. It shall be unlawful for any person to sell, offer for sale, barter or give away live turtles used for commercial purposes except in conformance with the provisions of this section and with other appropriate City, State, and Federal regulations.
(b) Certificate of adequate bacteriological proof required. Prior to the sale, offer of sale, barter or gift of any live turtles used for commercial purposes, a certificate of adequate bacteriological proof must be submitted to the Health Department that such turtles are free from salmonella contamination. Upon submission of such certificate, the Director of the Health Department shall have the option of approving the lot of turtles as free from salmonella contamination or of requiring further examinations pursuant to the provisions of Subsection (c) of this Section.
(c) Examinations by Health Department. If the Director requires further examinations and cultures of any lot of turtles, a series of at least six consecutive cultures shall be taken at intervals of not less than one week and at a laboratory approved for that purpose by the Health Department. The results of the examinations and cultures shall be submitted on a form provided by the Health Department. If the results of all the cultures are negative and show that the lot of turtles is free from salmonella contamination, the Director shall approve the lot of turtles for sale, offer for sale, barter or gift by the owner with a written statement of approval.
(d) Owner or dealer of turtles must retain certificate and statement of approval. The owner or dealer of any lot of approved turtles must retain his/her certificate of adequate bacteriological proof and his/her written statement of approval as provided in this section. These documents or copies thereof must be provided to and accompany any subsequent owner or dealer of any turtle sold from an approved lot.
(e) Certificate of adequate bacteriological proof. The term "certificate of adequate bacteriological proof" as used herein shall consist of a written statement issued by the Chief Public Health Official of the State from which the lot of turtles is shipped and which certifies that, based upon laboratory examination, the turtles have been found free of salmonella contamination. The certificate must also specify the particular examinations upon which the opinion is based.
(Ord. No. 23145, § 2, 10-3-06)
Source: City of Oklahoma City, Municipal Code and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/ok/oklahoma_city/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=OKMUCO2020_CH8AN_ARTIVRADICO_DIV4LITU_S8-229SAOFSABAGILITUREFetched: 10/28/2026