Lexington, KY Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Ban
- Retail pet stores cannot sell dogs or cats
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 064-2024, effective 6-27-24
- Exception
- Rescue/adoption showcase, no fee or ownership
- Fine
- $500 per sale, offer, or violation
- Related rule
- § 4-13-1 bans street/park/lot pet sales
Summary
Lexington-Fayette County Code § 4-13, adopted in June 2024, makes it unlawful for any retail pet store to sell or offer for sale a dog or cat. Stores may still host an animal rescue organization or adoption agency to showcase adoptable pets, but only if the store takes no ownership interest and charges no fee for the space.
It shall be unlawful for a retail pet store, as defined in subsection (a)(1), to sell or offer for sale a dog or cat. Nothing in subsection (b) shall prevent a retail pet store from providing space to either an animal rescue organization, as defined in this section, or an adoption agency, as defined in Section 4-1.1, for the purpose of showcasing adoptable dogs or cats to the public, provided that the retail pet store shall have no ownership interest in the dogs or cats and nor shall the retail pet store receive a fee for providing such space.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Republication | Zoning Ordinance: Republication).
Full Breakdown
Enacted by Ord. No. 064-2024 and effective June 27, 2024, § 4-13 defines a 'retail pet store' as any commercial establishment that sells or offers animals for sale on its premises, and defines 'sell or offer for sale' broadly to include displaying, adopting out, bartering, auctioning, trading or leasing. to sell or offer for sale a dog or cat,' full stop, there is no permit path around it. 1, use its space to showcase adoptable dogs or cats, but only if the store has no ownership interest in the animals and receives no fee for the space.
A companion provision numbered § 4-13-1, adopted the same day, separately bans offering any dog or cat for sale in a street, public right-of-way, park, outdoor market or parking lot, with exceptions for animal adoption agencies and state or county fair, 4-H, or similar educational exhibitions.
Violations & Fines
A retail pet store that sells or offers a dog or cat for sale faces a $500 fine per sale or offer, with each transaction a separate offense. A store that lets a non-qualifying party use its space, or takes a fee or ownership interest in showcased animals, faces the same $500 fine per violation. Selling a dog or cat in a street, park or parking lot under § 4-13-1 also carries a $500 fine per offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Lexington pet store still sell puppies?
Can a store host an adoption event for a rescue group?
Is it legal to sell a dog out of a parking lot?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lexington
Compare Lexington to another location·View the Kentucky animal ordinances overview
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