Spokane County, WA Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Rule
- no animal sales on public property
- Covers
- sidewalks, parking lots, empty lots
- Exempt
- licensed pet shops, kennels, approved nonprofits
- Not covered
- sale on private property not open to public
- Never exempt
- inherently dangerous animals under SCC 5.12
- Default penalty
- civil infraction, misdemeanor on 3rd violation
Summary
Spokane County bars selling, giving away, or even advertising an animal for sale on public property or on private property that's open to the public, such as a parking lot, sidewalk, or vacant lot, under SCC 5.04.044(1). Licensed pet shops, kennels, and animal shelters are exempt, so pet stores may still sell dogs and cats normally.
(1)No person shall display, sell, deliver, offer for sale, barter, auction, give away, dispose, or advertise the availability of an animal upon any public property or upon private property open to the public.(2)For purposes of this section, public property shall include, but not be limited to, any county-owned real property, air space, or other interest in real estate...owned by or controlled by the county or any governmental entity within the unincorporated areas or incorporated areas under contract that have adopted this chapter.(3)For purposes of this section, "private property open to the public" shall include, but not be limited to, any parking lot, sidewalk, and empty lot.(4)This section shall not apply to the sale of an animal that occurs:(a)On private property not open to the public;(b)At legally permitted pet shops and kennels; or(c)At or through any humane society, animal welfare society, society for the prevention of cruelty to animals or other nonprofit organization devoted to the welfare, protection, and humane treatment of animals and approved by the director.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 63).
Full Breakdown
044 does not ban retail pet sales outright, unlike the puppy-mill ordinances some cities pass; it targets curbside and parking-lot animal sales. Subsection (1) makes it unlawful to display, sell, deliver, offer for sale, barter, auction, give away, dispose, or advertise the availability of an animal upon any public property or upon private property open to the public. Public property reaches county-owned real estate, streets, roads and alleys under (2), while private property open to the public is defined broadly in (3) to include any parking lot, sidewalk, and empty lot, meaning a box of free kittens outside a grocery store or a sidewalk table of puppies for sale both violate the section.
Subsection (4) carves out three exceptions: sales on private property that is not open to the public, sales at legally permitted pet shops and kennels, and adoptions through a recognized humane society or other nonprofit animal-welfare organization approved by the SCRAPS director. 12, so a licensed pet shop still cannot sell a prohibited dangerous species. 043 both qualify as the legally permitted sellers the exception protects.
Violations & Fines
SCC 5.04.044 does not carry its own separate fine or misdemeanor tag, so a violation defaults to the chapter's general enforcement scheme: SCRAPS animal protection officers can issue a civil infraction, and a person who racks up a third violation of any chapter 5.04 provision within twelve months is elevated to a misdemeanor under SCC 5.04.071(1)(p). Selling an inherently dangerous animal under the guise of the pet-shop exception separately violates chapter 5.12.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I sell puppies out of a box in a parking lot?
Does this ban pet stores from selling dogs and cats?
Can I sell a litter from my own home?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Spokane County
Compare Spokane County to another location·View the Washington animal ordinances overview
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