Lakewood, WA Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Pet shop defined
- Sells/boards animals bred by others
- License required
- Before selling animals to the public
- Species disclosure
- Full species list required on application
- Zoning check
- Planning and Public Works letter required
- Public-place sales
- Barred unless licensed, LMC 6.04.100
Summary
Lakewood does not ban retail pet sales, but LMC 6.06.023 requires any pet shop, defined as an establishment that acquires animals bred by others and sells or boards them, to hold a license before selling animals to the public. Applicants must disclose every species they intend to sell.
“Pet shop” means any person or establishment that acquires animals (dogs, cats, birds, fish, rodents, reptiles, primates, insects, and any/or all others) bred by others, whether as owner, agent, or on consignment, sells or boards any species of animals and offers to sell such animals to the public. ... ... 9. If the applicant is a pet store, a list of all species of animals, i.e., dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, primates, insects, fish, rodents, and any/or all others, that are to be sold;
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 852, passed June 15, 2026).
Full Breakdown
023(A) defines a "pet shop" as any person or establishment that acquires animals, including dogs, cats, birds, fish, rodents, reptiles, primates, and insects, bred by others, whether as owner, agent, or on consignment, and sells or boards any species of animal or offers to sell such animals to the public. 023(B), operating a pet shop within Lakewood without the applicable license is unlawful, the same licensing mandate that reaches commercial kennels, hobby kennels, and grooming parlors. 023(G)(9), a list of every species of animal the pet shop intends to sell.
100 bars selling, bartering, or transferring any animal in an area open to the public unless the activity is licensed under the City's business licensing regulations, reinforcing that street or sidewalk animal sales outside a licensed shop are not allowed. 02.
Violations & Fines
Operating a pet shop without the required license, or selling animals in a public place without a licensed business per LMC 6.04.100, exposes the operator to license denial, suspension, or revocation under LMC Chapter 5.02, and to the general penalty provisions governing unlicensed animal-related businesses in LMC 6.06.023. The City's Department of Planning and Public Works and the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department both review compliance before any license issues.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can pet stores sell dogs and cats in Lakewood?
Can I sell animals from a table on the sidewalk?
What does a Lakewood pet shop have to submit for its license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lakewood
Compare Lakewood to another location·View the Washington animal ordinances overview
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