Mountain View, CA Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)

Sec. 84 makes it unlawful to display for sale, offer for sale, exchange, barter or give away any animal except at a permitted pet shop, commercial kennel, private kennel, pet grooming parlor, animal menagerie, animal shelter or horse establishment holding a valid Sec. 66 permit, or at a private residence. The rule exempts animal rescue and humane organizations recognized by the service provider, and cat or dog breeders selling at a nationally sanctioned show. Sec. 81 layers on further conditions specific to cats and dogs: no establishment other than a licensed or county-operated shelter may sell, exchange or barter a cat or dog younger than eight weeks, and proof of age, including a veterinarian's certification, can be required.

Anyone who sells or gives away a dog or cat must hand the new owner free information on pet care, county animal-control laws and available spay/neuter programs, and must disclose Mountain View's own licensing requirements before the sale. It is unlawful to give away a dog or cat as a contest, lottery or raffle prize, or as an inducement to enter a business arrangement, or to sell one to a buyer under 18 without the written permission of a parent or guardian. Sec. 82 requires every cat or dog over eight weeks to be immunized before sale (distemper and parvovirus for dogs, panleukopenia, rhinotracheitis and calicivirus for cats), with a signed disclosure of the vaccination date and any known illness or parasites.

Sec. 83 then gives the buyer a return right: within five days of purchase, a buyer can have the animal examined by a California-licensed veterinarian, and if the exam turns up an undisclosed contagious disease or serious congenital defect, the buyer can return the animal within one business day of the exam and the seller must refund the purchase price.