Nashville, TN Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Allowed source
- Animal care facility or rescue only
- Minimum age
- No sale under eight weeks old
- Recordkeeping
- Acquisition records kept one year
- Penalty
- $50 per day, per animal
- Enforcement
- Health Dept. and Codes Administration
Summary
Metro Nashville pet stores can only sell dogs and cats obtained from an animal care facility or a nonprofit rescue, never from a breeder or broker, and no animal under eight weeks old goes up for sale.
A.A pet store may offer for sale only those dogs and cats that the pet store has obtained from or displays in cooperation with:1.An animal care facility, as defined in this chapter; or2.An animal rescue organization, as defined in this chapter.B.A pet store shall not offer for sale a dog or cat that is younger than eight weeks old.C.Each pet store shall maintain records sufficient to document the source of each dog or cat the pet store acquires, for at least one year following the date of acquisition. Such records shall be made available, immediately upon request, to any animal control officer, health officer, or any law enforcement agency.D.Each pet store offering dogs or cats for sale shall post, in a conspicuous location on the cage or enclosure of each animal, a sign listing the name of the animal care facility or animal rescue organization from which each dog or cat in the cage or enclosure was acquired. (Ord. BL2018-1159 § 1, 2018)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 53 | Charter: Republication 9).
Full Breakdown
Metropolitan Code § 8.30.020 restricts Nashville pet stores to selling dogs and cats obtained from or displayed in cooperation with an animal care facility (a government-run shelter) or a registered 501(c)(3) animal rescue organization: the city's version of a puppy-mill ban that pushes stores toward an adoption-only model rather than breeder or broker supply. Stores cannot sell any dog or cat younger than eight weeks old, must keep acquisition records for at least one year, and must post a sign on each cage naming the shelter or rescue that supplied the animal. The Health Department and Codes Administration Department share enforcement authority.
Violations & Fines
Violating any part of Chapter 8.30 carries a $50 civil penalty per day, per animal: each dog or cat offered for sale in breach counts as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a Nashville pet store sell puppies from a breeder?
How old must a dog or cat be before a Nashville pet store can sell it?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Nashville
Compare Nashville to another location·View the Tennessee animal ordinances overview
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