El Cajon, CA Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)

04's general animal provisions and ties pet shop operation to the California State Retail Food Production and Marketing Establishment Law, which governs animal sale facilities as food-adjacent retail establishments subject to health inspection. 36 of the municipal code, the city's public health permitting chapter, rather than through the standard business license process alone. The permit fee is not fixed in the ordinance itself; it is "set pursuant to city council resolution," meaning the amount can change by council action without amending the code text, and the current schedule is kept on file with the city clerk.

The section is explicit that the health permit is "in addition to any other permit or license required by this code and other applicable law," so a pet shop also needs the underlying business license required of any commercial operation in the city, plus compliance with zoning. 010, though it exempts licensed veterinary businesses and small animal hospitals from that permit. El Cajon's code does not contain a local ordinance restricting what a permitted pet shop may sell or requiring shelters-only sourcing; any such sourcing restriction would come from state law, not this chapter.