Bill > SF1943

This bill prohibits pet shops from selling cats and dogs in Minnesota, with several key provisions. The bill defines a "pet shop" as a retail store selling animals and establishes that such shops cannot sell, offer to sell, barter, or transfer ownership of animals directly. However, pet shops can provide space for nonprofit humane societies, animal control agencies, or animal rescue organizations to offer animals for adoption, with strict conditions that the pet shop cannot have an ownership interest in the animals or receive fees for providing adoption space. Existing pet shops that have sold animals for at least one year prior to the effective date can continue selling animals, but only if they obtain animals from state or USDA-licensed breeders and disclose the breeder's license number in advertisements. The bill also mandates detailed disclosure requirements for pet dealers, including providing information about the animal's origin, health status, and veterinary records. Violations of these provisions can result in civil fines of up to $1,000 per violation, with each animal transfer considered a separate violation. Local governments are permitted to enact even stricter regulations regarding animal sales. The bill is set to become effective on August 1, 2026, and includes a severability clause to ensure that if any part of the law is found invalid, the remaining provisions can still be enforced.

Business and Industry

https://www.revisor.mn.gov/bills/bill.php?b=Senate&f=SF1943&ssn=0&y=2025