Boston, MA Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Banned sales
- Dogs, cats, guinea pigs, rabbits by pet shops
- Allowed
- Fee-free shelter/rescue adoption displays only
- Guinea pig grace period
- 90 days for existing sellers only
- Record-keeping
- Source records kept 1 year, on demand
- Fine
- $300 per animal sold in violation
- Seizure hold
- 7 days, appealable
Summary
No pet shop in Boston may sell, deliver, barter, auction or otherwise transfer a dog, cat, guinea pig or rabbit under Code § 16-1.9G.2. Shops may still host adoption displays for a shelter or rescue, but only if they take no fee and hold no ownership interest in the animals shown.
(A) No pet shop shall display, sell, deliver, offer for sale, barter, auction, give away, broker or otherwise transfer or dispose of a dog, cat, guinea pig or rabbit, except that pet shop may provide space for the display of dogs, cats, guinea pigs or rabbits available for adoption by a public animal control agency or shelter or an animal rescue organization so long as the pet shop receives no part of any fees associated with the display or adoption of the animals and has no ownership interest in any of the animals displayed or made available for adoption. ... (D) No person shall sell, exchange, trade, barter, lease or display for a commercial purpose any dog, cat, guinea pig or rabbit on or in any street, public grounds, commercial parking lot, flea market or other market...
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-2: Current through Ordinance 2025 C. 14, passed 11-5-2025).
Full Breakdown
2(A) prohibits a pet shop from displaying, selling, delivering, offering for sale, bartering, auctioning, giving away, brokering or otherwise transferring a dog, cat, guinea pig or rabbit, carving out only space provided for an animal shelter, public animal control agency or animal rescue organization to show animals for adoption, provided the shop keeps no adoption fee and has no ownership stake. A narrow guinea-pig grandfather clause in (B) lets a shop already selling guinea pigs on the ordinance's effective date keep doing so for 90 days, but that protection ends immediately if the shop expands species offered or changes ownership, location or license.
Under (C), every pet shop must keep source records for each animal it acquires for at least a year and produce them on demand to the Parks and Recreation Department's Animal Care and Control Unit or Boston Police. Division (D) separately bars anyone from selling, trading, bartering, leasing or displaying for commercial purposes a dog, cat, guinea pig or rabbit on any street, public ground, commercial parking lot, flea market or other market, except displays by a shelter, rescue organization, or a 4-H or similar educational program. L. Chapter 129, Section 1 definition and excludes shelters and rescues.
Violations & Fines
Selling a dog, cat, guinea pig or rabbit in violation of § 16-1.9G.2 carries a $300 fine per violation, with each animal sold or offered in violation counting as a separate offense; animals offered, transferred or displayed unlawfully may be seized or impounded by the Parks and Recreation Department, its Animal Care and Control Unit, or Boston Police, held seven days, with a right to an administrative appeal within that window before the animal is surrendered to Animal Care and Control.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Boston pet store sell puppies or kittens?
What happens if a Boston pet shop violates the sale ban?
Can someone sell puppies on a Boston street or at a flea market?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Boston
Compare Boston to another location·View the Massachusetts animal ordinances overview
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