[HISTORY: Derived from Art. XIII of Ch. XXV of the Charter and Ordinances, 1974, of the City of Buffalo. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Animals — See Ch. 78.
Enforcement — See Ch. 137.
Food and drugs — See Ch. 193.
Disposal of dead animals — See Ch. 216, Art. II.
Inspections — See Ch. 249.
Sanitation — See Ch. 378.
The following words, when used in this chapter, shall have the following meanings:
PERSON
An individual, partnership, firm, association or corporation.
SLAUGHTERHOUSE
A building or part thereof or premises within the City of Buffalo used or kept for the purpose of killing, dressing or packing any cattle, sheep, hogs, calves or other animals, or the meat thereof, intended for human consumption.
[Amended 12-9-2003, effective 12-19-2003; 3-20-2007, effective 3-21-2007]
The Commissioner of Economic Development, Permit and Inspection Services, upon the recommendation of the Erie County Health Department and the approval of the Common Council, may grant a license to a person to keep or maintain a building or buildings or premises therein described as a slaughterhouse or to any person dealing in meats slaughtered outside the City of Buffalo, New York, upon payment to the Office of Licenses of the City of Buffalo of a fee as provided in Chapter 175, Fees, therefor.
[Amended 12-9-2003, effective 12-19-2003; 3-20-2007, effective 3-21-2007]
No license to keep or maintain a slaughterhouse shall be recommended by the Erie County Health Department nor granted by the Commissioner of Economic Development, Permit and Inspection Services until the plans therefor have been filed with the Health Department and the Commissioner of Economic Development, Permit and Inspection Services and by him approved in writing, and no plans shall be so approved until the slaughterhouse for which a license is requested conforms to the Code of the City of Buffalo.
[Amended 12-9-2003, effective 12-19-2003; 3-20-2007, effective 3-21-2007]
Each license so granted by the Commissioner of Economic Development, Permit and Inspection Services shall expire at 12:00 midnight on the 30th day of June following the date of its grant. Each license granted by the Commissioner of Economic Development, Permit and Inspection Services may be revoked by him for the violation, by any person to whom it was granted, of any ordinance of the City of Buffalo at the time in effect with reference to slaughterhouses or to the inspection of animals therein slaughtered or intended to be slaughtered or the meat or meat products thereof, after a hearing given to the licensee, of which hearing the licensee shall have a notice of at least three days.
Each slaughterhouse for which a license shall be granted as herein provided shall be open in every part at all times to inspection by any authorized employee of the Department of Health.
It shall be unlawful to kill or dress any animal for human food in any slaughterhouse or other place in the City of Buffalo between the hours of 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. or between the hours of 12:00 noon Saturday and 7:00 a.m. Monday, except that the Commissioner of Health, through his duly authorized inspectors detailed to inspect such killing and dressing, may grant permission to so kill and dress animals for human food in cases of special emergency.
In each room of a slaughterhouse wherein any meat, refuse, offal, fertilizer or any other material derived directly or indirectly from the slaughter of animals is treated or handled and in each room of a slaughterhouse wherein animals are killed or dressed, the floor must be made watertight, properly drained and sewer-connected and the walls, doors and casements constructed of or covered with some nonabsorbent material to a height of six feet above the floor.
In each slaughterhouse, a cooler shall be constructed and maintained, the interior of which shall be painted with white enamel paint or constructed of nonabsorbent material, such as tile or wallboard, to be approved by the Commissioner of Health. Such cooler shall be provided, at all times when the slaughterhouse is in use, with sufficient refrigeration to maintain in the cooler a temperature of not to exceed 38° F.
In each slaughterhouse there shall be maintained a manure box of some nonabsorbent materials, with a tight-fitting cover and sewer connection. All receptacles used in the handling of meat or meat products or for blood entrails, offal or waste matter of any kind shall be of nonabsorbent materials, and when entrails, offal or waste matter are contained therein shall be kept tightly covered. The manure box and all receptacles shall be emptied and cleaned at the close of each day that a deposit is made therein, and from all yards, pens or compartments all deposits of matter shall be removed at the close of each day that the same are used. The floor of each room in the slaughterhouse shall be swept at the close of each day the room is used, and the floor and walls to the height of six feet from the floor of each room used for killing or dressing shall be flushed and all matter removed therefrom at the close of each day that the room is used. Each slaughterhouse shall be provided with sufficient wire screens for windows and doors to keep the house at all times free from flies and shall be provided with a sufficient number of receptacles for expectoration, which receptacles shall be cleaned and disinfected at least once in every 24 hours. Each slaughterhouse shall be provided with suitable, convenient and separate water closets for each sex, and also suitable and convenient sinks, each with running water for washing, in the proportion of one water closet and one sink for every 15 persons or fraction thereof employed. Each water closet compartment shall be thoroughly ventilated, and no water closet shall open into any room where animals are killed or the product thereof prepared or kept. No dog shall be allowed to run at large upon any premises or in any building used as a slaughterhouse. Each slaughterhouse must be kept at all times clean and wholesome, and the odors therefrom must be destroyed by some effective means and according to the best and most approved processes, and everything preceding, following and in connection with the slaughtering of animals and the preparation of the products thereof must be free from all offensive conditions or cause of detriment to the public health.
A. 
No person shall expectorate or discharge from the human body or any organ thereof any matter whatsoever upon any floor or wall of any slaughterhouse or upon any article of furniture or equipment or upon any animal or the product thereof within a slaughterhouse, except into receptacles provided for the purpose.
B. 
No person suffering from tuberculosis, ophthalmia or any contagious disease or any skin disease shall be employed in a slaughterhouse in the killing of animals or the handling or preparation of the meat or meat products thereof.
It shall be the duty of any owners of a slaughterhouse, butcher shop, grocery, drugstore or any other place where food or liquid of any kind is kept for human consumption to allow access to the inspectors for the purpose of inspecting the same.
A. 
The rendering of dead animals is hereby declared to be unlawful and is prohibited within the City of Buffalo, except as hereinafter provided. This provision shall not apply to the rendering of parts of animals which have been slaughtered for human food; provided, further, that any person, firm or corporation which has facilities for rendering parts of animals slaughtered for human food may also render dead animals at the same place if such use is permitted by the provisions of the Zoning Ordinance of said City.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 511, Zoning.
B. 
Any person, firm or corporation desiring to render dead animals not slaughtered for human food shall first apply to the Commissioner of Permit and Inspection Services for a license to conduct such business. The Commissioner may require a written application thereof, duly verified, giving such information concerning the location, the character of such proposed business, the facilities for conducting it and other details which he deems necessary. If the Commissioner of Permit and Inspection Services is satisfied that the proposed business will conform to the laws of the State of New York and the Code of the City of Buffalo, he shall issue a license therefor, the fee for which shall be as provided in Chapter 175, Fees, which license, unless sooner revoked, shall expire June 30 of each year.
[Amended 12-9-2003, effective 12-19-2003]