Gaithersburg, MD Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)

Chapter 4, Article III of the City Code regulates any pet shop or commercial kennel operating inside Gaithersburg city limits, defined as an establishment that sells, trades or exchanges live animals, whether standalone or as part of another business. Section 4-81 requires an annual license from the animal control officer before the business may open, renewed yearly, with an inspection or survey required before initial issuance and again before every renewal. A plain pet supply store selling only supplies, equipment or food, or a portion of a business that is not operating as a pet shop, needs no license under this article.

Every employee, including managers, must complete at least one and one-half hours of training on Chapter 4's requirements and on detecting illness in shop animals within 15 days of hire, then pass an exam on that training within 7 days. The animal control officer can revoke a license for fraud, cruelty to an animal, a Class A violation, more than six Class B municipal infraction citations in one license period, or more than two suspensions in a license period; a revoked or denied licensee cannot reapply for 60 days and cannot sell at the same premises during that time.

Section 4-82 sets minimum care standards, including hot water for cleaning at a minimum 160 degrees Fahrenheit, daily feeding and cleaning, and permanent purchase, inventory and death records open to the animal control officer's inspection. Section 4-83 bars confining more than two dogs or cats in one cage and prohibits displaying or selling any dog or cat under eight weeks old. Decisions to suspend or revoke a license go first to the animal control board on an expedited seven-day review, then may be appealed to the Circuit Court for Montgomery County within 30 days.