Plantation, FL Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)

Code of Ordinances Section 4-31, enacted by Ordinance No. 2536 in August 2015, bars any pet shop from engaging in the retail sale of dogs or cats in the City on or after August 26, 2015, except as allowed in Sections 4-32 and 4-33. Section 4-32 gave existing shops a wind-down window: they could sell their August 26, 2015 inventory, documented with photographs and submitted to the City, through January 31, 2016. Section 4-33's ongoing exceptions let a shop sell dogs and cats sourced from a hobby breeder, or operate an animal shelter or rescue organization out of or in connection with the pet shop; a shop that gets all of its dogs and cats from a hobby breeder is not covered by the ban at all.

Section 4-34 requires every pet shop to post, within three feet of each animal's kennel or cage, a certificate of source bearing a photograph of the dog or cat, and to hand that certificate to the buyer; a code enforcement or police officer can demand to see the certificates on the spot. Section 4-35 requires hobby breeders supplying shops to keep birth and veterinary records for at least three years and to provide clean, sanitary, humane conditions with adequate food, water, ventilation, and veterinary care.

The ordinance is Plantation's version of a puppy-mill retail ban: commercial pet shops may not act as a storefront for mass breeders, but shelters, rescues, and small hobby breeders remain a lawful sales channel.