Pompano Beach, FL Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)

39, Retail Sale of Dogs and Cats, prohibits any pet store, defined as any retail establishment open to the public that sells or transfers dogs or cats regardless of age, from displaying, selling, trading, delivering, bartering, leasing, renting, auctioning, giving away or otherwise disposing of a dog or cat in the city. Subsection (C) carves out five exemptions: hobby breeders (no more than one litter per adult animal per calendar year); a person selling animals bred and reared on properly zoned property they own with required city approvals; animal shelters; animal rescue organizations; and a shelter or rescue that partners with or operates inside a pet store or retail store.

Subsection (D) requires any pet store relying on those adoption partnerships to post a Certificate of Source within three feet of each animal's kennel identifying the shelter, rescue or hobby breeder source, and to give a copy of that certificate to the buyer or adopter. Subsection (E) makes clear a store can still host shelter or rescue animals for public adoption on its premises even though it cannot sell animals itself. The ban was adopted by Ord. 2014-35, passed May 13, 2014, and applies only within Pompano Beach's municipal limits.