Coon Rapids, MN Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)

Chapter 6-900, enacted April 16, 2024 under Ordinance 2303, finds its authority in Minn. Stat. § 412.221(21), the state law letting cities regulate the keeping of animals. Section 6-903(1) prohibits any pet store from selling, delivering, offering for sale, bartering, auctioning, giving away, or otherwise transferring or disposing of cats or dogs, making Coon Rapids an adoption-only city for retail cat and dog sourcing. Section 6-903(2) carves out a narrow exception: pet stores may collaborate with animal shelters, animal rescue organizations, and animal control authorities to offer in-store space to showcase adoptable dogs and cats, provided the showcased animals are at least eight weeks old and any dog is not kept overnight at the store.

Section 6-904 requires a pet store to post a certificate of source within three feet of each dog's or cat's enclosure and to give a copy to any adopter, keeping those records for at least one year after the animal last appeared in the store; the certificate must be produced on request to a peace officer, animal control authority, or a state humane agent under Minn. Stat. § 343.06. Section 6-905 authorizes a City employee to inspect a pet store for compliance after giving the owner or occupant prior notice.

The definitions in Section 6-902 exempt animal control authorities, animal shelters, and 501(c)(3) rescue organizations from the pet store definition entirely, so those entities are not restricted by the sale ban.