Long Beach, CA Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Compliant sources
- City-permitted breeder, public shelter, or rescue
- Certificate posting
- Within 3 feet of each animal's enclosure
- Effective date
- October 1, 2015
- Covered animals
- Dogs, cats, and rabbits
Summary
LBMC § 6.16.062 bars animal shops from selling, bartering, or transferring dogs, cats, or rabbits unless the animal was bred locally under a City breeding permit, or came from a public shelter or a private rescue/humane organization: an adoption-sourcing rule that took effect October 1, 2015.
A.No person or animal shop shall engage in the sale, barter, giving away, or transferring of dogs, cats, or rabbits unless the person or animal shop sells, barters, gives away, or transfers:1.A dog or cat bred and reared within the City in compliance with Section 6.16.190;2.A dog, cat, or rabbit obtained from a publicly operated animal shelter; or3.A dog, cat, or rabbit obtained from a private humane society or duly incorporated organization devoted to the rescue, care, and adoption of stray, abandoned, or surrendered dogs, cats, and/or rabbits.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Municipal Code: Supplement 52 Update 1 | City Charter: Supplement 5).
Full Breakdown
190 breeding-permit process; a dog, cat, or rabbit obtained from a publicly operated animal shelter; or one obtained from a private humane society or incorporated organization devoted to rescuing, caring for, and placing stray, abandoned, or surrendered animals. Subsection B clarifies the rule doesn't stop a shop from hosting shelter or rescue animals on-site for adoption purposes. Subsection C requires the shop to post a certificate of source within three feet of each animal's kennel or cage, proving the animal was obtained under one of the compliant channels, and to hand a copy of that certificate to the buyer at sale or transfer.
This effectively functions as Long Beach's retail pet-sale ban: a store cannot stock commercially bred puppies or kittens sourced from outside the City's own permitted breeding and transfer system, pushing retail sales toward shelter and rescue partnerships. 190 transfer-permit system governing individual sales outside a shop.
Violations & Fines
An animal shop selling dogs, cats, or rabbits from a noncompliant source, or failing to post the required certificate of source at each enclosure, violates § 6.16.062 and is subject to the Chapter 6.16 enforcement scheme under § 6.16.210: criminal citation authority for Animal Care Services Bureau officers and administrative fines that escalate for repeat violations of the same section within twelve months, assessed and collected directly by the Bureau.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can pet stores in Long Beach sell puppies from breeders?
Do Long Beach pet stores have to prove where their animals came from?
When did Long Beach's pet-store sourcing rule start?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Long Beach
California rules heatmap·Compare Long Beach to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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