Only 3 in 10 Visitors Wash Their Hands After Touching Your Animals: The Petting Zoo Handwashing System That Keeps Children Healthy, Insurers Calm and Your Farm Open
By Stephen Loke of AgritourismSuccess.com, whose farm is featured in Bloomberg News and Asahi Shimbun
On the last Sunday of September 2012, a young couple from Gastonia, North Carolina, took their 2-year-old son to the Cleveland County Fair in Shelby.
His name was Hunter "Gage" LeFevers. At the petting zoo, he did what toddlers everywhere do. He fed the animals. He touched them. He touched the straw on the ground.
On the way out, his father did exactly what every good parent is told to do. According to the lawsuit the family later filed, he took Gage to the wash basin at the exit to scrub his little hands with soap and water.
The basin was out of soap.
Twelve days later, on October 12, Gage died. The cause was E. coli O157:H7 and a kidney-destroying complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS.
He was one of about 106 people sickened in that outbreak. North Carolina health officials traced it to the fair's petting zoo exhibit, and investigators believed rainwater runoff helped carry the bacteria across the fairgrounds.
I am not telling you this story to scare you away from animals. Families love them. Animal encounters are one of the most dependable draws in agritourism, and USDA figures show U.S. farms earned $1.26 billion from agritourism in 2022.
I am telling you because the thing that failed that day was not exotic. It was not a rare disease or a freak accident. It was a soap dispenser.
And here is the part that should keep every farm owner awake. Even when the soap is there, most visitors do not use it.
When University of Guelph researchers sent an observer to 36 petting zoos in Ontario, 94% of them had hand hygiene facilities. Yet on average, only about 30% of visitors washed or sanitized their hands on the way out.
Three in ten.
That means on a busy Saturday when 300 families walk through your goat pen, roughly 210 of them may climb into their cars, open a bag of snacks and touch their mouths with whatever your goats left on their hands.
This guide is written the way an operator with three decades of animal attractions would write it, and checked against the questions a veteran insurance and liability adviser asks before signing off on a petting zoo. Every number comes from the CDC, state health departments, peer-reviewed studies or court records. You will find the full source list at the end.
THE SHORT VERSION
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Here is what you will learn:
How often animal contact makes visitors sick, in hard numbers
Seven real outbreaks and the one lesson each one teaches
Why hand sanitizer alone is a trap
What actually gets visitors to wash, according to the research
The 3-zone layout every petting zoo should use
The handwashing station spec sheet, including how many sinks you need
Which animals should never be handled by which visitors
The daily checklist, the insurer questions and the 48-hour plan if someone gets sick
Why Insurers and Health Departments Ask About Handwashing First
The CDC has published guidance for animals in public settings since 2005, written by the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians (NASPHV). It is called the Compendium of Measures to Prevent Disease Associated with Animals in Public Settings. The latest edition came out in 2023.
From the very first edition, it has named handwashing as the single most important step for reducing disease spread at animal exhibits. Everything else in this article builds on that one idea.
Here is why that matters to your business, not just your visitors.
First, there is no single federal rule. The 2023 Compendium says plainly that no U.S. federal law addresses disease risk at venues where the public touches animals. That leaves it to states and counties. A CDC legal review found seven states with laws requiring hand sanitation stations at animal contact exhibits: New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin. All seven also require signs, and all seven allow penalties for operators who do not comply.
Second, the guidelines become the yardstick. Even where your state has no law, a health inspector, an insurance underwriter and a plaintiff's lawyer will all reach for the same Compendium. If something goes wrong, the first question is simple: did this farm do what the published national guidelines say?
Third, your insurance may not cover disease at all. A March 2026 industry briefing from agritourism consultants White Hutchinson warned that after COVID-19, many insurers added or tightened communicable disease exclusions on liability policies. Some offer add-on coverage, but often with lower limits and strict conditions, such as proof of contamination on your farm or a health department order.
That is not a theory. In 2021, an insurer told a California federal court that the communicable disease exclusion in a pumpkin patch's policy should knock out coverage for two lawsuits over a 2016 E. coli outbreak at the farm's petting zoo. After the 2012 Cleveland County Fair outbreak, a separate lawsuit was filed just to decide how far the fair's insurer had to cover the claims.
We covered the insurance side in depth in The $7.55 Million Petting Zoo: Why Your Farm Insurance May Not Pay a Dime When a Child Gets Sick. This article is the other half of the story: the daily system that stops the claim from ever happening.
The Numbers: How Often Animal Contact Makes Visitors Sick
Let us start with the size of the problem, because most farm owners badly underestimate it.
According to the 2023 Compendium, in the 10 years ending in 2020, there were 156 disease outbreaks involving animals in public settings in the United States. They caused 6,388 illnesses, 1,233 hospitalizations and 10 deaths.
Outbreaks are only the cases that get noticed and linked together. The Compendium also cites a CDC-backed estimate that close to half a million intestinal illnesses in the U.S. each year come from contact with animals, leading to about 4,933 hospitalizations and 76 deaths.
A Minnesota study of non-outbreak cases from 2012 to 2016 found something even more relevant to you. Among people sickened after farm animal exposure, 10% had picked it up at a fair, petting zoo or agritourism farm. For the dangerous Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, 28% had visited a public animal contact setting.
Now look at what single petting zoo and farm-visit outbreaks have looked like over the past 25 years, starting with a 1999 Ontario petting zoo outbreak that sickened 159 people.
Key idea: The animals in these outbreaks were not sick. Animals that look completely healthy can carry and shed these germs in their manure, which ends up on their fur, hooves, the rails and the straw. Testing animals or giving them antibiotics does not reliably remove the risk. The only dependable protection is to control how people touch animals and what they do with their hands afterward. |
Three more facts from the Compendium every farm owner should know:
Young animals shed more. Baby goats, lambs and calves, the exact animals children most want to hold, carry a higher rate of E. coli than adults.
Stress makes it worse. Transport, crowding and constant handling increase shedding. A busy weekend is a high-risk weekend.
The germs stay behind. E. coli O157 can survive in soil for months. People have been infected in barns after the animals were removed.
Seven Real Outbreaks and the Lesson Each One Teaches
Statistics tell you the risk. Stories tell you how it actually happens. Here are seven outbreaks every animal-contact operator should know by heart.
1. Merrymead Farm, Pennsylvania, 2000: Signs are not a system
During the fall of 2000, the Montgomery County Health Department identified 51 people who fell ill after visiting a popular dairy farm with a petting area. Ninety-two percent of them were 10 years old or younger.
About 75,600 people visited the farm during the outbreak period. The CDC estimated that around 7,000 of them may have developed diarrhea linked to their visit.
The farm had signs telling visitors to wash their hands. It was not enough. The 2023 Compendium notes that handwashing facilities were limited and not set up for children. Meanwhile, the CDC's investigation found that visitors who washed their hands before eating had much lower odds of getting sick.
This outbreak, along with a smaller one in Washington State the same year, pushed the CDC to issue its first national recommendations for farm visits.
The lesson: A sign is a suggestion. A child-height sink at the exit, with soap, is a system.
2. North Carolina State Fair, 2004: Sanitizer is not soap
In October 2004, 108 people became ill after visiting the North Carolina State Fair. Fifteen children developed HUS. Most cases were traced to one petting zoo, where visitors could walk among sheep and goats and feed them.
Hand sanitizer was available. Handwashing sinks were not set up at that petting zoo.
One of the sickest children was 2-year-old Aedin Gray. She spent more than a month in the hospital with kidney damage. Investigators later found the outbreak strain on wood shavings collected from a baby stroller and from the shoes of visitors.
In 2005, North Carolina passed Aedin's Law. Animal contact exhibits now need a permit after inspection, handwashing stations, warning signs and fencing that separates people from animal pens.
The lesson: Sanitizer is a backup, not a substitute. And strollers and shoes carry manure out of the pen.
3. Florida fairs, 2005: One exhibitor, three fairs
In 2005, 63 people in Florida became ill after contact with petting zoo animals, especially goats, at several fairs and festivals. Seven developed HUS. The CDC found that the implicated fairs shared one common animal vendor, a traveling petting zoo exhibitor.
The lesson: If you rent animals or host a mobile petting zoo, their hygiene problem becomes your problem. Put your standards in the contract and inspect on arrival.
4. Godstone Farm, England, 2009: The farm stayed open
In August and September 2009, 93 people were infected with E. coli O157 after visiting Godstone Farm in Surrey. Seventy-six were children under 10. Twenty-seven were admitted to hospital and 17 children developed HUS. It remains the largest outbreak linked to an open farm in the UK.
An independent inquiry led by Professor George Griffin found that the farm's risk assessment leaned mainly on visitors washing their hands. It also found the farm stayed open for about four weeks after the first illness was reported. At the outbreak's peak, about 1 in 100 visitors was exposed. The inquiry concluded that stopping contact with cattle and sheep sooner would have prevented a substantial number of cases. The farm later stopped disputing liability.
The lesson: Handwashing is your last line of defense, not your only one. And you need a written trigger for when you pause animal contact.
5. Cleveland County Fair, North Carolina, 2012: The soap ran out
This is Gage's outbreak. About 106 people got sick and one child died. The family's lawsuit says the wash basin at the exit had no soap. The fair's attorney said its exhibits had been inspected and found compliant with state law.
Both statements can be true at the same time. That is the point. A station that passed inspection on Friday morning can be empty by Sunday afternoon.
The lesson: Restocking soap and paper towels is not a cleaning chore. It is a safety duty that needs a schedule, a name and a log.
6. Connecticut goat dairy farm, 2016: Kidding season is peak risk
In March and April 2016, 50 confirmed cases of E. coli were linked to a goat dairy farm in southeastern Connecticut that welcomed visitors during kidding season. Three people developed HUS, and more than half of the patients were 5 years old or younger. Investigators found heavy contamination around the farm and widespread shedding among the goats.
The lesson: Baby goat season is your busiest and your riskiest. Tighten every rule when the kids are born.
7. Arizona State Fair, 2025: Sanitizer only, and a whole county pulled the plug
In the fall of 2025, children began landing in Phoenix hospitals with E. coli infections and HUS after visiting the Arizona State Fair. Several families said their children had petted a pig. An Arizona Republic investigation reported at least eight children hospitalized, and fair officials confirmed that no soap-and-water handwashing station was attached near the petting zoo. Hand sanitizer was what visitors had.
One 6-year-old boy spent 21 days in hospital and needed dialysis, according to his family's lawsuit.
The fallout went beyond one fair. In 2026, the Maricopa County Fair announced it would have no petting zoo and no pony rides.
The lesson: One operator's shortcut can shut down animal attractions for everyone in the region. Your reputation is tied to your industry's.
RED FLAG Notice what is missing from almost every outbreak above: running water and soap at the exit, a person at the exit, and a written plan. Notice what was often present: signs and hand sanitizer. Signs and sanitizer feel like safety. On their own, they are not. |
Two more outbreaks worth a sentence each. In 1996, 65 people, mostly children, got Salmonella at a Colorado zoo just from touching a wooden barrier around a Komodo dragon exhibit, and the children who stayed healthy were more likely to have washed. In 2003, a Minnesota educational farm program had 31 students ill with Cryptosporidium, was given clear recommendations, did not fully follow them, and had 37 more students ill a few months later.
Why Hand Sanitizer Alone Is a Trap
Hand sanitizer is cheap, portable and easy. That is exactly why so many petting zoos rely on it. Here is what the science says.
Alcohol-based sanitizer with 60% to 95% alcohol kills many germs. But the 2023 Compendium is clear that soap and water is still preferred, for two reasons. Sanitizers do not work equally well against all germs, and they do not work well when hands are dirty or greasy. A child's hands after a petting zoo are usually both.
The biggest gap is Cryptosporidium, a parasite often carried by calves, lambs and goat kids. The CDC states that alcohol-based hand sanitizers do not effectively kill it.
The research also shows that how people wash matters. In outbreak studies summarized by the Compendium, working up a lather lowered the chance of getting sick. Drying wet hands on clothing raised it. That is why paper towels are not a luxury.
RED FLAG In one British Columbia outbreak at a pumpkin patch petting zoo, there was no running water and no handwashing signs. The hand sanitizer that was provided sat at a height some children could not reach. Always check your stations from a 4-year-old's eye level. |
Use sanitizer as a second step, not a first. Put it at the animal zone entrance and at food areas as a bonus. Put soap, running water and paper towels at every exit.
What Actually Gets Visitors to Wash
This is the most important section in the article, because it is where most farms fail. You can buy the best handwashing station in the country and still have 70% of visitors walk right past it.
Three studies give us a clear picture.
The Ontario study (36 petting zoos). Even though 94% of petting zoos had hand hygiene facilities, average compliance was about 30%, ranging from 0% to 77%. When the station was near the exit, visitors were more than twice as likely to use it. When handwashing signs were posted, they were 49% more likely. The observer also saw food or drinks inside the petting zoo at 82% of events, and baby bottles, pacifiers and toys were common.
The Kansas and Missouri study (13 petting zoos). Only 37% of 574 visitors leaving animal areas tried any kind of hand hygiene. Adults did no better than children.
The Guelph video study. At one university petting zoo watched by hidden cameras, 58% of visitors washed or sanitized. Two things moved the number up: better signs combined with staff actively offering sanitizer, and staff giving verbal reminders before visitors left.
Put those together and you get five rules that work:
Put the station at the exit, in the path. Visitors should have to walk past the sink to leave. Do not hide it around a corner.
Make it impossible to miss. Large signs with pictures, in the languages your visitors speak.
Put a person there. A friendly staff member or volunteer at the exit who says, "Let's get those hands washed before snacks!" is the single most powerful upgrade you can make.
Make it fun for kids. Sing a 20-second song, give a sticker or stamp after washing, or use a "clean hands club" card.
Wash before the treat, not after. Place your snack bar, ice cream or cider stand after the wash station, never before it.
Field-Tested Play: The Exit Host Give one person a single job on busy days: stand at the animal zone exit and walk every family to the sink. Give them a cheerful line, a stamp for children's hands after they wash and a simple tally sheet. Rotate the job every two hours so the energy stays high. It costs you one wage. It is the closest thing to insurance you can buy for the price of a person. |
The 3-Zone Farm: The Layout Every Petting Zoo Should Use
The 2023 Compendium tells venues to divide their space into three types of areas. This is the backbone of a safe animal attraction, and it works on a small farm as well as a big fair.
Zone 1: The Animal Zone. This is where contact happens. Inside it, the Compendium recommends:
No eating, drinking, smoking or anything hand-to-mouth
No strollers, toys, pacifiers, sippy cups or baby bottles
No sitting or playing on the ground
A one-way flow, with a separate entrance and exit
Visitor numbers controlled so the pen never gets crowded
Feeding only where contact is controlled, such as over a barrier
Feed never served in edible containers like ice cream cones
Manure and soiled bedding removed promptly
Animal feed, water and manure tools kept out of public reach
Zone 2: The Transition Zone. This is the doorway between dirty and clean. At the entrance, it is where visitors learn the rules and park strollers. At the exit, it is where everyone washes. The Compendium also says to remind visitors to wash after touching shoes, clothing, strollers or wheelchairs that may have contacted manure.
Zone 3: The Clean Zone. No animals except service animals. This is where food is prepared, sold and eaten. Put handwashing stations here too, especially at the food counter.
Two layout mistakes cause more trouble than any other. The first is hauling manure through the clean zone during open hours. The second is selling food right next to the pen. If you serve food, read our guide on selling food on your farm and the permits each step needs.
Field-Tested Play: The Stroller Corral Build a simple fenced stroller parking area at the animal zone entrance with a sign: "Strollers rest here. Little hands wash there." It keeps manure off wheels that later touch car seats and kitchen floors, and it tells every parent you take their child's health seriously. |
The Handwashing Station Spec Sheet
A handwashing station that meets the guidelines has more parts than a tap. Here is the spec sheet we recommend, drawn from the Compendium, state hand sanitation laws and outbreak lessons.
Feature | What good looks like | Why it matters |
Location | At the animal zone exit, in the walking path, before any food | Ontario visitors were more than twice as likely to wash when the station was near the exit |
Water | Clean running water, warm if you can manage it | Running water rinses away manure that sanitizer cannot cut through |
Soap | Liquid soap in a pump, checked every hour | The Cleveland County Fair lawsuit centers on an empty soap basin |
Drying | Single-use paper towels and a lidded bin | Drying hands on clothing raised illness risk in outbreak studies |
Height | A child-height sink or a sturdy step | Pennsylvania 2000 and British Columbia both had stations children could not use properly |
Access | Reachable for wheelchairs and mobility devices | The Compendium calls for stations accessible to all visitors |
Signs | Large, picture-based, in your visitors' languages | Signs made visitors 49% more likely to wash in the Ontario study |
Staff | A host at the exit on busy days | Verbal reminders raised compliance in the Guelph study |
Backup | Sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol beside the sink | A useful second step, never the only one |
How many sinks do you need?
There is no single national formula, so plan for your busiest 15 minutes, not your average hour. A proper wash takes about 45 seconds per person once you count wetting, a 20-second scrub, rinsing and drying.
Here is our planning math for one school bus of 50 children arriving at the exit at the same time:
Taps at the exit | Time for 50 children to wash | Verdict |
1 tap | About 38 minutes | Children will give up and leave |
2 taps | About 19 minutes | Teachers will skip it to stay on schedule |
4 taps | About 9 to 10 minutes | Workable with a host directing traffic |
6 taps | About 6 to 7 minutes | Comfortable for school groups |
If you host school field trips, plan for at least four taps or stagger groups through the animal zone. Our guide to why farms struggle to get school field trips shows how a clean, well-run visit helps you win repeat bookings from teachers.
You do not need to build a plumbed sink house in your first season. Portable handwashing stations are widely available to rent. Public contract prices give a useful guide: a 2026 Westchester County, New York contract lists hand washing stations at $130 per unit per month, and Montana's 2024 wildfire contracts list serviced two-sink stations at $50 to $70 per day.
Teach the 20-Second Wash
Most adults have never been taught to wash properly, and children certainly have not. Post this at every sink in big letters with pictures.
Wet your hands with clean running water.
Lather with soap. Bubbles matter.
Scrub for at least 20 seconds: palms, backs, between fingers and under nails. That is about two rounds of "Happy Birthday."
Rinse well under running water.
Dry with a paper towel. Never on your clothes.
Then add one more rule for parents: wash again before eating, even if you washed when you left the animals.
Who Should Touch What: Matching Animals to Visitors
Not every visitor faces the same risk, and not every animal carries the same risk. The 2023 Compendium is specific about this, and your insurer will expect you to know it.
Children under 5 are at higher risk because of how they behave. In observation studies, young children had closer contact with animals and more hand-to-face contact than adults. The Compendium says children under 5 should not have direct contact with animals likely to carry these germs, such as pre-weaned calves, reptiles and live poultry, including chicks and ducklings.
Adults 65 and older and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to become seriously ill if they are infected.
Pregnant women face risks of miscarriage, stillbirth and preterm birth from some germs found around animals, especially at birthing exhibits. In 1999, petting zoos with birthing goats and sheep at two Canadian shopping malls were linked to a Q fever outbreak with 95 confirmed cases and 41 hospitalizations.
Three practical rules follow from this:
Offer a "look but do not touch" option. A viewing area behind a barrier lets toddlers and high-risk guests enjoy the animals safely.
Never let the public touch newborns or birthing materials. If you host birthing events, keep them well ventilated and behind a barrier.
Keep sick animals out. The Compendium says animals with diarrhea or other signs of illness, or from herds with recent diarrhea, abortion or respiratory disease, should not be exhibited.
For the wider liability picture with animals, read our guide to managing liability when hosting farm animals, and check whether your petting zoo needs a USDA exhibitor license.
The Daily Operating Checklist
A system only protects you if it runs every single day. Print this and put it on a clipboard at the barn door.
When | Task | Who signs |
Before opening | Check every animal for diarrhea, coughing or injury and move sick animals off display | Animal lead |
Before opening | Fill soap, paper towels and water; test every tap | Exit host |
Before opening | Check signs are visible and stroller parking is set up | Exit host |
Before opening | Remove manure and soiled bedding from the contact area | Animal lead |
Every hour | Restock soap and towels and empty the bin; tick the log | Exit host |
Every hour | Pick up manure near rails and walkways | Animal lead |
All day | Host at the exit; no food, drinks or pacifiers in the animal zone | Exit host |
After closing | Remove organic matter, then clean and disinfect rails, gates and surfaces | Animal lead |
After closing | File the logs, note any visitor complaints or injuries | Owner |
A few cleaning facts from the CDC and the Compendium to get right:
Clean first, then disinfect. Disinfectants do not work through manure and dirt.
Give it time. Most disinfectants need more than 10 minutes of contact time to work. Follow the label.
Keep animals out until it is dry. Return animals only after disinfected surfaces have fully dried.
Know your germ. Chlorine bleach does not kill Cryptosporidium. If you ever have a Crypto problem, ask your health department about other disinfectants such as hydrogen peroxide-based products.
Avoid pressure washing and leaf blowers when visitors are near. They can spread contaminated dust and droplets.
Two more items that belong in every animal-contact operation: keep your mammals up to date on rabies vaccination, given at least one month before they meet the public, and never sell or sample raw milk or unpasteurized cider at your attraction. The Compendium recommends against both.
Field-Tested Play: Keep Animal Records Keep a simple record of where every animal came from, when it arrived and which events it attended. The Compendium recommends record keeping that supports outbreak investigations. If health officials ever call, a clean record helps them find the source fast, and that can clear your farm just as quickly as it can implicate it. |
For a broader view of farm hazards, see our list of 10 common agritourism safety hazards and how to address them.
What Your Insurer and Health Inspector Will Ask
When you add animal contact to your farm, expect questions. The farms that get coverage and pass inspection are the ones that can answer with evidence, not promises.
Here is how a veteran insurance and liability adviser would prepare you.
The question | The answer that helps you | The proof to keep |
Do you have handwashing with soap and running water at every exit? | Yes, plus sanitizer as a backup | Photos of each station and the hourly restock log |
Is the animal area supervised? | Yes, an animal lead inside and a host at the exit | Staff roster and training sign-off sheet |
Are food and drinks kept away from animals? | Yes, a separate clean zone after the wash station | Site map showing the three zones |
How do you handle children under 5? | Supervised contact only, no chicks, reptiles or young calves | Written animal contact policy |
How do you check animal health? | Daily checks and a working relationship with a vet | Daily check log and vet records |
What signs do you post? | Health warnings at the entrance, wash signs at the exit | Photos of the signs in place |
What happens if a visitor reports illness? | A written response plan | The plan itself, dated and signed |
Do you follow the 2023 NASPHV Compendium? | Yes, and here is how | This checklist and your policies |
THE UNDERWRITER'S VIEW Read your liability policy for the words "communicable disease." If there is an exclusion, ask your agent in writing whether illness caught from animals is excluded, what endorsement can add coverage back, what its limit is and what proof it requires before paying. Then ask whether your umbrella policy follows the same terms. Get every answer in writing. |
THE LAWYER'S VIEW Your state's agritourism law probably will not save you here. The National Agricultural Law Center reports that more than 30 states have agritourism liability laws, but most protect you only from "inherent risks" and many remove protection if you are negligent. Some, like Idaho and Oklahoma, drop protection for any negligent act. Skipping the steps in a published national guideline is exactly what a jury may call negligence. |
That last point is not academic. In 2016, a Minnesota jury awarded $7.55 million to a girl who developed HUS after feeding cows at a pumpkin patch's animal attraction. Her lawyers said the farm had no handwashing stations or warning signs. The owners testified that they did not know diseases could pass from their animals to visitors.
Not knowing is no longer an option for any farm that reads this article.
For more on what protection the law really gives you, read our 50-state guide to agritourism laws, our article on whether liability waivers protect your farm and our guide to agritourism warning signs and where to post them.
When a Visitor Gets Sick: Your 48-Hour Response Plan
Godstone Farm's biggest mistake was not the first case. It was the four weeks that followed. Write this plan now, while you are calm.
Take every report seriously. Thank the caller, write down the date of their visit, who was sick, their symptoms and which animals they touched. Encourage them to see a doctor and mention the animal contact. Do not argue, diagnose or admit fault.
Call your local health department the same day. They would rather hear from you first. Their investigation can also show that your farm was not the source.
Notify your insurance agent in writing. Late notice is one of the easiest ways to lose coverage.
Pause animal contact if you get a second report, or immediately if the health department advises it. Keep animals on view behind a barrier if you must, but stop the touching.
Preserve your records. Keep your daily logs, cleaning logs, animal records, staff rosters and visitor lists. Do not throw anything away.
Communicate honestly. If the health department confirms a link, work with them on what to tell the public. Silence and spin destroy trust faster than the outbreak does.
RED FLAG Do not wait for a third phone call. The Griffin inquiry into Godstone Farm concluded that earlier action to stop contact with cattle and sheep would have prevented a substantial number of cases. A paused weekend costs you money. A month of delay can cost you the farm. |
The Money Side: Prevention Is the Cheapest Thing You Will Ever Buy
Farmers are practical people, so let us talk money.
Renting two handwashing stations for a six-month season at the 2026 Westchester County contract rate of $130 per unit per month comes to about $1,560. Add soap, paper towels, signs and a few hours of a host's time on busy days, and a solid handwashing system still costs a small farm a few thousand dollars a year.
Now compare that with the other side. After the 2012 Cleveland County Fair outbreak, food safety lawyer Bill Marler estimated the medical bills alone would likely top $1 million, and guessed the operators carried only about $1 million each in insurance. The Minnesota pumpkin patch verdict was $7.55 million for one child, and her lawyer said the farm's insurance did not have that much coverage.
The verdict was more than 4,800 times the cost of two rented sinks for a whole season.
There is also the money you never see. Every family that leaves your farm with clean hands and a happy child is a family that tells friends, posts photos and comes back. A visibly clean, well-run animal area is a selling point. Parents notice. Teachers notice. Insurers notice.
Your 7-Day Handwashing Upgrade Plan
You do not need a new barn to get this right. Here is a one-week plan any farm can follow.
Day | Action |
Day 1 | Walk your visitor route with a notebook. Mark where people enter, touch animals, exit and eat. |
Day 2 | Draw your three zones on a simple map. Move any food, drinks or seating out of the animal zone. |
Day 3 | Order or rent handwashing stations with running water, soap and paper towels for every exit. Add a child step. |
Day 4 | Print large picture signs for the entrance and every sink. The NASPHV and the CDC offer free materials. |
Day 5 | Write your animal contact policy, including the under-5 rules and which animals are look-only. |
Day 6 | Train your team: the exit host role, hourly restock log, daily animal check and cleaning steps. |
Day 7 | Call your insurance agent with the question table above. Then do a dress rehearsal with family or friends. |
When you are done, take photos of everything. Those photos, your written policies and your logs are your proof. They are what you will show an inspector, an underwriter and, if it ever comes to it, a court.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do petting zoos have to provide handwashing stations?
In some states, yes. A CDC legal review found seven states with laws requiring hand sanitation stations at animal contact exhibits: New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin. Even where it is not law, the national NASPHV Compendium recommends handwashing stations at the exit of every animal area, and insurers and courts often treat it as the standard.
Is hand sanitizer enough after touching farm animals?
No. Sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol helps, but the CDC and the Compendium say soap and running water is preferred. Sanitizer does not work well on dirty hands and does not effectively kill Cryptosporidium, a parasite common in young farm animals.
How long should visitors wash their hands after a petting zoo?
Scrub with soap for at least 20 seconds, covering palms, backs, between fingers and under nails, then rinse and dry with a paper towel. Wash again before eating.
Can children under 5 visit a petting zoo safely?
Yes, with care. The Compendium says children under 5 should not have direct contact with high-risk animals such as pre-weaned calves, reptiles and live poultry including chicks. They should be supervised at all times, kept from putting hands or objects in their mouths, and helped to wash thoroughly on the way out.
What diseases can visitors catch at a petting zoo?
The most common are E. coli O157 and other Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter and Cryptosporidium. E. coli O157 can lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious kidney condition that mostly affects young children.
Does farm insurance cover a visitor who gets sick from an animal?
Not always. Many liability policies now include communicable disease exclusions. Ask your agent in writing whether illness from animal contact is covered, and what endorsement and limits apply. Our guide to agritourism insurance coverage and costs explains what to ask.
The Bottom Line
Gage LeFevers' father did everything right. He brought his son to the sink. The system around that sink failed him.
Your job as a farm owner is not to be perfect. It is to build a system that does not depend on luck: three clear zones, a well-stocked sink at every exit, a friendly person reminding every family to use it, clear rules for the youngest and most vulnerable visitors, and the records to prove you did it all.
Do that, and your animals stay what they should be: the best part of a family's day on your farm.
Your next step (free): Take the Farm Readiness Quiz to see exactly where your farm stands on facilities, safety, rules and insurance before your next visitor walks through the gate. Then download the free 21-Point Agritourism Blueprint, the step-by-step checklist for opening your farm to the public the right way, safely, legally and profitably. |
Important: This article is general education, not medical, legal or insurance advice. Rules for animal exhibits differ by state, county and country, and they change. Before opening an animal contact area, confirm your situation with your local health department, state veterinarian, insurance agent and an attorney licensed in your state.
Sources
CDC MMWR: State laws requiring hand sanitation stations at animal contact exhibits (2017)
CDC MMWR: E. coli O157 infections associated with goat dairy farm visits, Connecticut, 2016
CDC: Preventing and controlling Cryptosporidium at camps (hand sanitizer and bleach)
USDA Economic Research Service: Agritourism income in the 2022 Census of Agriculture
CIDRAP: North Carolina E. coli outbreak traced to petting zoo (2004)
WRAL: Families of 2004 State Fair E. coli victims and Aedin's Law
Courthouse News: Parents sue over 2-year-old's death after Cleveland County Fair petting zoo
Marler Clark: Cleveland County Fair E. coli outbreak, North Carolina (2012)
Bill Marler: Another petting zoo E. coli outbreak, another lawsuit (2012)
Fieldfisher: Griffin inquiry into the Godstone Farm outbreak
Food Safety News: Petting farm accepts liability in E. coli outbreak (2011)
Food Safety News: Arizona investigating E. coli outbreak linked to state fair petting zoo (2025)
Arizona Republic via AOL: Maricopa County Fair to forgo petting zoo after E. coli outbreak (2026)
Phoenix New Times: Family sues after child gets E. coli at Arizona State Fair petting zoo (2026)
University of Guelph: Human behaviour at petting zoos poses risk (2007)
Patient Care: Petting zoo perils point to poor hand hygiene (Weese et al.)
barfblog: Kansas and Missouri petting zoo hand hygiene study (Erdozain et al., 2013)
White Hutchinson: Does your farm have liability insurance coverage for E. coli disease? (2026)
Law360: Insurer wants out of pumpkin patch E. coli coverage (2021)
Trial Magazine: Lack of safety measures at petting zoo leads to child's E. coli infection (2017)
Pritzker Hageman: $7.55 million verdict for child who contracted E. coli-HUS (2016)
FOX 9: Rosemount family wins $7.5 million E. coli verdict (2016)
National Agricultural Law Center: Agritourism immunity laws fact sheet
National Agricultural Law Center: Three states pass new agritourism liability laws (2013)
Westchester County, N.Y.: Portable toilet and hand washing station contract pricing (2026)
Montana DNRC: Portable toilet and handwash station rental agreement (2024)
Photo credits
Photos from Unsplash: Patrick (goat), Joyful (goats), Matthew Halmshaw (pig), Karthik Sridasyam (baby goat) and the CDC (handwashing). Charts and diagrams by AgritourismSuccess.com.
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