Kootenai County, ID Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- No retail ban
- County does not prohibit pet shops from selling dogs
- Trigger
- Regularly selling dogs makes a shop a commercial kennel
- License required
- Kennel license needed regardless of dog count on site
- Approval needed
- Written Community Development approval before license issues
- License term
- One year, non-transferable, fee set by board resolution
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor under Code 1-4-1 for unlicensed operation
Summary
Kootenai County does not ban retail pet sales or require adoption-only stores. Instead, any pet shop that regularly sells dogs is legally a commercial kennel under Code 5.1.103 and must hold a county kennel license under 5.1.201, regardless of how many dogs are on hand, with Community Development approval and Panhandle Health District review of waste disposal.
COMMERCIAL KENNEL: A kennel facility which includes one or more of the following activities: ... D. Any pet shop regularly selling dogs. ... 4. A county kennel license shall also be required for any parcel of real property in which any of the activities listed in the definition of "commercial kennel," as set forth in section 5.1.103 of this chapter, are occurring, regardless of the number of dogs kept, harbored or possessed on the property.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-10: Code current through: Ord. 633, passed December 23, 2025).
Full Breakdown
103). 201(A)(4): a license is required for the parcel "regardless of the number of dogs kept, harbored or possessed on the property," so the trigger is the retail activity itself, not a headcount. 201(B)(2)). 201(B)(3)). 202: indoor facilities need three-foot solid partitions between pens, sloped, water-impermeable flooring, sound-deadening construction, and outdoor runs sized to Table 1-201's per-dog square footage. 201(C)). 203).
Violations & Fines
Operating an unlicensed pet shop that regularly sells dogs is a misdemeanor under Code 5.1.205(A), punishable as provided in section 1-4-1. On conviction, a judge may order the sheriff to impound every dog on the property, leaving up to five licensed dogs unless the court says otherwise (5.1.205(B)). An issued kennel license can also be revoked for repeat at-large violations, excessive noise, or failure to keep required animal records (5.1.204(A)).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a pet store in Kootenai County sell dogs?
Does the county require pet stores to be adoption-only?
What happens if a pet shop sells dogs without a kennel license?
Who approves a pet shop's kennel license application?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kootenai County
Compare Kootenai County to another location·View the Idaho animal ordinances overview
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