San Luis Obispo County, CA Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)

001(b) makes clear that permit does not excuse compliance with any other municipal or county rule on selling or keeping animals. A commercial animal operation is defined at Sec. 003(l) as a non-residential enterprise involving the care or keeping of companion animals, or a residential one that exceeds the county's animal-keeping caps or clears $10,000 in gross annual revenue. Before a permit issues, Sec. 003 requires the Division to inspect the facility, both at initial application and periodically afterward, and inspectors may enter without notice during normal business hours; refusing an inspection is grounds to deny or revoke the permit.

004 layers a separate business-license duty on top of the animal permit, required from whichever jurisdiction the operation sits in. 005 requires the operator to post emergency contact information visibly outside the locked premises. Under Sec. 006(b), the chief animal control officer can suspend or revoke a permit for creating a public nuisance, unsanitary conditions, inadequate animal care, a Penal Code Sec. 597 animal-cruelty conviction, false statements on the application, or failing the Division's operational standards, following a hearing with five days' notice. A denied, suspended, or revoked permit holder can appeal to the Board of Supervisors within seven days under Sec.

007, and the Board's decision is final. Permits run the calendar year and carry a Board-set fee under Sec. 008, with nonprofit humane organizations exempt from fees if they file 501(c)(3) documentation by January 31.