Bloomington, IN Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)

Bloomington Municipal Code § 7.16.070 bans the retail sale of cats outright: no pet shop, defined in Section 7.01.010 as any retail establishment engaging in the purchase and sale of any species of animal, may sell cats or offer cats for sale, and each individual sale or offer is a separate violation subject to the penalties in Chapter 7.56. The code doesn't extend the same blanket ban to dogs, but Section 7.16.080 channels pet shops toward adoption rather than commercial breeding for both species: a pet shop may offer space to a municipal animal shelter or an animal rescue organization to display dogs and cats for adoption, but none of the adoption fees or space fees may be paid to the host pet shop or any affiliated entity, and the host pet shop can't hold any ownership interest in the animals on display.

Any commercial animal establishment, including a pet shop, must also hold a permit from the City of Bloomington Animal Care and Control Department under Section 7.16.010 and submit to inspection of its premises and animals under Section 7.16.020, with an inspection warrant available from a county court of record if the operator refuses entry.