Bill > HF2627

This bill, effective August 1, 2026, prohibits pet shops from selling or offering for sale cats and dogs, defining a "pet shop" as a pet dealer operating a physical retail store that sells animals to the public. While generally banning such sales, it includes an exception for pet shops that were already selling animals from their physical premises for at least a year prior to the bill's effective date, provided they source animals only from state-licensed or USDA-licensed breeders and disclose the breeder's license number. The bill also allows pet shops to provide space for nonprofit humane societies, animal control agencies, or animal rescue organizations to offer animals for adoption, as long as the pet shop does not own the animals or receive a fee for the space. Additionally, the bill amends existing laws to require pet dealers to provide more detailed disclosures to purchasers, including copies of breeder inspection reports, and clarifies purchaser responsibilities when an animal has a health problem. Violations of the new prohibition on selling cats and dogs by pet shops can result in civil fines of up to $1,000 per violation, with repeated offenses leading to a permanent ban on selling animals.