DuPage County, IL Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Retail sale of dogs/cats
- Banned at pet shops
- Shelter/rescue showcase
- Allowed, no fee/ownership
- Max fine
- $1,000 per day
- Governing law
- County Code § 26-9
Summary
DuPage County bans pet shops from selling dogs or cats at all: retail sale is a public nuisance under Sec. 26-9, with only shelter adoption partnerships allowed.
It shall be a public nuisance to operate any pet shop where the pet shop operator displays, sells, delivers, offers for sale, barters, auctions, gives away or otherwise transfers or disposes of dogs or cats. It is not a nuisance for pet shop operators to collaborate with animal control facilities or animal shelters to offer space for such entities to showcase adoptable dogs and cats provided the pet shop operator does not have any ownership interest in the animals offered for adoption and does not receive a fee for providing space for the adoption of any of these animals.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 14 Update 1).
Full Breakdown
Under Sec. 26-9 of the County Code, it's a public nuisance for a pet shop operator to display, sell, deliver, offer for sale, barter, auction, give away or otherwise transfer or dispose of dogs or cats. The only carve-out: a pet shop can host an animal control facility or animal shelter's adoptable dogs and cats on-site, but only if the shop has no ownership interest in those animals and takes no fee for the space. A pet shop operator is anyone selling or offering pets other than animals they bred and raised themselves, or a licensed veterinary hospital.
Violations & Fines
Violating the pet shop nuisance ban carries a fine up to $1,000, with each day the violation continues counted as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a DuPage County pet shop sell puppies or kittens?
Can a pet store still host adoptable animals?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in DuPage County
Compare DuPage County to another location·View the Illinois animal ordinances overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.