Is it legal to leave your dog in the car in Illinois or Missouri? What state laws say

Meredith Howard
·3 min read
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As temperatures rise this spring in the St. Louis region, your dog or cat’s life may be at risk if you leave them in the car for even a short period of time, The Humane Society of the United States says.

The average temperature in June in Belleville is 75.9 degrees, the National Weather Service reports. Half an hour after leaving your car in 75-degree weather, the inside of the car can reach 109 degrees, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Cracking your windows “makes no difference,” the AVMA cautions, and the excessive heat can be deadly.

Across the country, 31 states have laws about leaving pets in cars, according to Michigan State University’s Animal Legal & Historical Center. Some states allow law enforcement to intervene when an animal is left in a car, while others allow any bystander to take action.

Here’s what to know about Illinois and Missouri regulations on leaving animals in cars.

Illinois law on pets left in vehicles

In Illinois, leaving an animal in your car is illegal if the situation threatens the animal’s health or life through prolonged exposure to extreme heat or cold “without proper ventilation or other protection from such heat or cold,” according to state law.

If they have probable cause to believe this law is being violated, an animal control officer, law enforcement officer or department investigator may enter a motor vehicle “by any reasonable means” to protect the animal after making a “reasonable effort” to locate the owner or other responsible party.

A person who is convicted of violating this law is guilty of a class C misdemeanor in Illinois, and a subsequent violation results in a class B misdemeanor.

If an animal is injured or killed as a result of violating the law, the owner may face a class A misdemeanor, which carries a fine up to $2,500 and up to a year in jail, according to the American Kennel Club.

What to know in Missouri

Although the Show Me State has general laws banning animal cruelty in place, Missouri lacks a specific provision regulating leaving pets in vehicles.

Missouri residents are “severely limited” in what actions they can take when they see an animal left in a car, the president of the Humane Society of Missouri wrote in a 2017 letter to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

What witnesses can do is contact law enforcement and the Humane Society of Missouri Animal Cruelty Task Force at 314-647-4400 and wait until help arrives.

St. Louis City Animal Care and Control can be reached at 314-657-1500.

What to do if you see an animal left in a hot car

If you come across a pet left behind in someone’s car and you believe the animal is at risk, there are steps you can take. Here’s what The Humane Society of the United States advises:

  • Write down the vehicle’s make, model and license plate number

  • If there are businesses nearby, you could notify security guards or managers and ask them to make an announcement to find the car’s owner.

  • If the owner can’t be located, you can call the non-emergency number for the local police department, an animal cruelty task force or animal control.