Hollywood, FL Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)

57(A) makes it unlawful for a pet shop to display, sell, trade, deliver, barter, lease, rent, auction, give away or otherwise dispose of a dog or cat unless the animal was obtained from an animal rescue organization, an animal shelter, or a rescue or shelter operating in connection with the pet shop; commercial breeders are cut out of the retail chain entirely. 57(B), each dog or cat must have a Certificate of Source posted within three feet of its kennel, cage or enclosure, and the shop must give a copy to whoever buys or receives the animal.

Falsifying a Certificate of Source, by the pet shop, its operator, or any other person, is separately declared unlawful. Pet shops holding an active City of Hollywood local business tax receipt as of the ordinance's passage got 30 days from the second reading to comply with the certificate requirement, with a further 180-day exemption from the rest of subsections (A) and (B) running from June 1, 2016, the ordinance's effective date. 57(C) bars keeping, selling or offering sick or injured animals, and (D) bars selling unweaned or too-young or weak animals whose sale would harm them.

Every pet shop must also post, near the entrance and legible from the sidewalk, a framed notice under glass listing who to contact at any hour so a Code Enforcement Officer can be let in for an inspection under (E). 57 violation, subject to a hearing and appeal to the City Commission.