Texas does not prohibit retail pet sales statewide, and Dallas County imposes no countywide pet-store sourcing ban. Dallas City Code Section 7-3.1 limits retail sales to rescue and shelter sources, but this rule does not extend to suburban or unincorporated stores.
Texas state law does not restrict where retail pet stores may source dogs and cats. Dallas County has not enacted a humane-sourcing ordinance, so its rule reach is limited to consumer-protection licensing and rabies-vaccination tracking through Dallas County HHS. The City of Dallas adopted Section 7-3.1, requiring pet stores within city limits to source dogs, cats, and rabbits from shelters, rescues, or animal control agencies, not commercial breeders. That rule applies only inside Dallas city boundaries. Pet stores in Plano, Garland, Irving, Mesquite, and unincorporated Dallas County remain unrestricted on sourcing, although all must follow Texas Health and Safety Code rabies and licensing rules.
Within Dallas city limits, sourcing violations under 7-3.1 trigger municipal citations starting near five hundred dollars per animal sold. Outside Dallas, only state consumer-protection and animal-cruelty laws apply, with cruelty cases prosecuted under Penal Code 42.092.
See how Richardson's pet store rules rules stack up against other locations.
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