Rapid City, SD Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)

056, operating a pet store in Rapid City without a current license is unlawful. 010(Z) as a retail facility providing for the sale of animals and accessory products that does not board another owner's animal overnight for pay; that separate definition is what pulls a business into the license category rather than into the kennel or pet daycare categories defined in the same section. Only one license issues per store, and the applicant pays a fee the Common Council sets by resolution. Before the license issues, an Animal Control Officer must inspect the property and report in writing to the city's Designated Animal Control Authority that the store complies with city ordinances and state statutes and is run in a humane manner; a failed inspection blocks the license outright.

Licenses run for a full calendar year starting January 1, so a store opening mid-year still renews on the same citywide cycle as every other license under Title 6. 12. 056 bans the retail sale of dogs or cats, imposes a puppy-mill sourcing restriction, or requires stores to carry shelter animals only; the section is purely a business-licensing and inspection mechanism enforced by the city's Designated Animal Control Authority, which operates under contract with the Humane Society of the Black Hills.