Glendale, CA Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Effective ordinance
- Ord. 5748, effective Aug. 2011
- Grace period
- 1 year for existing pet stores
- Allowed sellers
- Shelters, humane societies, rescues only
- Adoption events
- Stores may host rescue adoptions
- Penalty
- Infraction, $100-$500
- Governing section
- GMC § 6.10.020
Summary
Glendale Municipal Code Section 6.10.020 bans pet stores from selling, displaying or giving away dogs and cats in the city, limiting stores to hosting adoptions run by shelters, humane societies or rescue groups instead of commercial breeders.
No pet store shall display, sell, deliver, offer for sale, barter, auction, give away, or otherwise transfer or dispose of dogs or cats in the city of Glendale on or after the effective date of this chapter.
C. Existing Pet Stores. A legally existing pet store may continue to display, offer for sale, offer for adoption, barter, auction, give away, or otherwise transfer cats and dogs for a period of one year from the date the ordinance codified in this chapter becomes effective.
D. Exemptions. This chapter does not apply to:
1. A publicly operated animal control facility or animal shelter;
2. A private, charitable, nonprofit humane society or animal rescue organization; or 3. A publicly operated animal control agency, nonprofit humane society, or nonprofit animal rescue organization that operates out of or in connection with a pet store.
E. Adoption of shelter and rescue animals. Nothing in this chapter shall prevent a pet store or its owner, operator or employees from providing space and appropriate care for animals owned by a publicly operated animal control agency, nonprofit humane society, or nonprofit animal rescue agency and maintained at the pet store for the purpose of adopting those animals to the public. (Ord. 5748, § 1, 8-23-2011)
Full Breakdown
010 explain why the council acted: a 2005 undercover investigation found that a Glendale pet store obtained puppies from a large dog-brokering facility with documented Animal Welfare Act violations, and the council concluded that puppy mills persist in part because pet stores create demand for them. becomes effective" before the ban applied to them too. The prohibition does not reach every animal transaction in a pet store. 020(D) exempts a publicly operated animal control facility or shelter, a private nonprofit humane society or rescue organization, and any public agency or nonprofit rescue that operates out of or in partnership with a pet store.
020(E) goes further, expressly allowing a pet store to host adoption events by letting a shelter or rescue group use space inside the store to showcase animals for adoption to the public, so long as the store itself is not the seller. In effect, a Glendale pet store can still sell food, supplies and services, and can host rescue adoptions, but it cannot itself be a retail source of dogs or cats.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 6.10 does not carry its own penalty clause, so a violation falls under the citywide default in Section 6.04.010(A): it is an infraction under Section 1.20.010(B), fined up to $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second violation within a year, and up to $500 for each further violation in that same year. The city's Community Development Department and code enforcement staff investigate complaints against pet stores selling animals outside the shelter, humane society or rescue exemptions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can pet stores sell dogs and cats in Glendale?
Can a pet store still host adoption events?
Were any Glendale pet stores exempt when the ban passed?
What is the fine for a pet store that violates the ban?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Glendale
California rules heatmap·Compare Glendale to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Pet Store Rules in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle pet store rules.