Coconut Creek, FL Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Ban
- No pet store display, sale, transfer or giveaway of dogs or cats
- Exempt
- Animal shelters and animal rescue organizations, even inside a store
- Rescue definition
- 501(c)(3) nonprofit registered in Florida that does not breed
- Certificate posting
- On or within three (3) feet of each enclosure
- Origin
- Ord. No. 2014-001, adopted January 23, 2014
- Fine schedule (Ch. 5)
- $50, $100, $150, then $200 to $500
Summary
Pet stores in the City of Coconut Creek cannot display, sell, trade, give away or otherwise transfer dogs or cats. Section 5-12 exempts animal shelters and animal rescue organizations, including those operating in or with a pet store, and requires a posted certificate of source for any dog or cat a pet store offers.
(b)Sale or transfer of dogs and/or cats. No pet store shall display, sell, trade, deliver, barter, lease, rent, auction, give away, transfer, offer for sale or transfer, or otherwise dispose of dogs or cats in the City of Coconut Creek on or after the effective date of this section.(c)Exemptions. This section does not apply to:(1)An animal shelter.(2)An animal rescue organization.(3)An animal shelter or animal rescue organization that operates out of or in connection with a pet store or other retail store.(d)Certificate of source. A pet store shall post and maintain in a conspicuous place, on or within three (3) feet of each dog's or cat's kennel, cage or enclosure, a certificate of source of each dog or cat offered for sale or transfer, and shall provide a copy of such certificate to the purchaser or transferee of any dog or cat sold or transferred.
Full Breakdown
Section 5-12 of the Coconut Creek Code, first adopted by Ord. No. 2014-001 on January 23, 2014 and amended by Ord. No. 2026-005 on June 25, 2026, ends retail sales of dogs and cats in the City of Coconut Creek, Broward County, Florida. Subsection (b) prohibits any pet store from displaying, selling, trading, delivering, bartering, leasing, renting, auctioning, giving away, transferring, offering for sale or transfer, or otherwise disposing of dogs or cats in the city. The list of verbs closes the loopholes: a free giveaway or a lease is banned the same as a sale.
A pet store is defined as any retail establishment open to the public that sells or transfers, or offers for sale or transfer, dogs or cats, regardless of the age of the animal. A pet store operator is a person who owns or operates one.
Subsection (c) exempts three categories: an animal shelter, an animal rescue organization, and an animal shelter or rescue organization that operates out of or in connection with a pet store or other retail store. An animal rescue organization is a humane society or other duly incorporated nonprofit registered with the Florida Department of State and operated as a bona fide charitable organization under Section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code, devoted to the rescue, care or adoption of stray, abandoned or surrendered animals, and it does not breed animals. An animal shelter is a municipal or related public shelter or a comparable nonprofit that does not breed animals.
Subsection (d) requires a pet store to post a certificate of source in a conspicuous place, on or within three (3) feet of each dog's or cat's kennel, cage or enclosure, and to give the purchaser or transferee a copy. The certificate must name the original source, give its address, show the source breeder's United States Department of Agriculture license information, and carry the signatures of both the pet store and the purchaser. Subsection (e) requires anyone selling or transferring dogs or cats in the city to follow the disclosure, record keeping and unfit-animal consumer remedies in F.S. § 828.29.
Violations & Fines
Section 5-12 has no penalty clause of its own, so § 5-11 applies. After a finding by the code enforcement board, special magistrate or a court, a fine is imposed under § 1-8: $50 for a first offense, $100 for a second, $150 for a third and $200 to $500 for a fourth, plus any added fines the board, magistrate or court orders. The Police Department and the Department of Sustainable Development enforce under § 5-4.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a pet store in Coconut Creek sell puppies or kittens?
Can a rescue group hold adoption events inside a pet store?
What is a certificate of source?
Do private individuals need to follow any of the sale rules?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Coconut Creek
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Coconut Creek to another location·View the Florida animal ordinances overview
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Pet Store Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Broward County handle pet store rules.