A new federal ruling may reshape how Kansas conducts inspections of boarding and training kennels.

In Johnson v. Smith, 2025 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 110772 (D. Kan. June 11, 2025), Judge Kathryn Vratil held that Kansas law requiring surprise, warrantless inspections of boarding and training kennels violates the Fourth Amendment. The Court also struck down the practice of requiring licensees to waive their constitutional rights in order to renew their annual licenses.

Why it matters:
This ruling enjoins the State from conducting these routine warrantless inspections unless they get a warrant or obtain voluntary consent. It doesn’t block all inspections—initial inspections, complaint-based inspections, and inspections under an administrative warrant are still allowed. But the decision effectively invalidates the current model of mandatory, unannounced searches as a condition of licensure.

Big takeaway: The Court rejected the argument that this was a “closely regulated industry” and emphasized that dog training and boarding businesses are not inherently dangerous and don’t justify bypassing the warrant requirement.

This case could influence how other states structure their licensing and inspection regimes—not just for kennels, but for any business trying to balance regulation with constitutional rights.