Bill > SF1943

This bill, effective August 1, 2026, prohibits pet shops from selling, bartering, or otherwise transferring ownership of cats and dogs, defining a "pet shop" as a pet dealer operating a physical retail store that sells animals to the public. While pet shops are generally barred from selling animals, they may provide space for nonprofit humane societies, animal control agencies, or animal rescue organizations to offer animals for adoption, provided the pet shop has no ownership interest in these animals and does not receive a fee for the space. However, pet shops that were already selling animals from their physical premises for at least a year before the bill's effective date can continue to do so, but only if they obtain animals from state-licensed or USDA-licensed breeders and disclose the breeder's license number on the animal's enclosure. Local governments are also permitted to enact stricter regulations, including outright prohibitions on animal sales by pet dealers. Violations of these new provisions by pet shops operating under the exception can result in civil fines of up to $1,000 per violation, and repeated violations can lead to a permanent ban on selling animals. The bill also makes minor amendments to existing laws regarding definitions and disclosure requirements for pet dealers, including requiring the disclosure of state or federal inspection reports for breeders.