El Paso, TX Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)

14 (Animal Sales, Breeding and Shows) regulates who may sell a dog or cat and what they can charge. 010, any animal establishment, breeder or animal welfare organization must hold a permit from the Department of Animal Services before conducting sales, kenneling, breeding, showing or exhibiting animals, and no permit may issue for an operation that violates the city's zoning ordinances. 020 then caps the price. No retail establishment, private seller or animal welfare organization may charge more than $50 for a dog or cat under one year of age that has not been spayed or neutered, or more than $150 if it has been altered, unless the seller documents actual expenses (minus food costs) and hands the purchaser copies of that documentation before the sale; a retail establishment already selling dogs or cats for profit as of April 1, 2011 got a grandfather window that expired December 31, 2012.

Every dog, cat or ferret four months or older must be vaccinated against rabies and microchipped before release, and animal welfare organizations must scan incoming animals for a microchip and hold strays a minimum of three days (six if chipped or tagged) before re-homing them. 040 makes it unlawful to sell, trade or give away an animal at a roadside, parking lot, flea market or festival. Sellers, including retail establishments, must keep sale and transfer records for two years and make them available to the program on demand, and the director may inspect any permitted operation.