Santa Rosa, CA Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- General rule
- No public sale, barter, or display of animals
- Pet store exception
- Sales allowed in humane display facilities
- Also exempt
- Hatchery chicks/ducklings, family pet gifts, farm sales
- Governing section
- Santa Rosa City Code § 7-08.060
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor, up to $1,000 fine/6 months jail
Summary
Santa Rosa bars anyone from selling, bartering, giving away or publicly displaying an animal on the street or in public, but § 7-08.060 carves out an exception for pet stores that sell dogs, cats or other animals inside humane display facilities. Hatchery chick and duckling sales, family pet transfers, and sales from private farm or residential property are also exempt.
No person shall sell, offer for sale, barter, give away or publicly display any animal. This section shall not be construed to prohibit the sale or display of natural chicks or ducklings in proper brooder facilities by hatcheries or stores engaged in the business of selling them to be raised for domestic consumption or commercial purposes, nor shall this section be construed to prohibit the sale or display in humane display facilities of any dog, cat or other animal by pet stores engaged in the business of selling them, nor shall this section be construed to prohibit the sale or gift of a pet by its master, the family or individual owning the same as a family pet, nor to prohibit the gift or sale of an offspring of such a family pet by the owner or master of the parent animal. This section shall not be construed to prohibit the sale of any animal from private agricultural or residential property.
Full Breakdown
060 opens with a blanket rule: no person may sell, offer for sale, barter, give away, or publicly display any animal in Santa Rosa. Read alone that would ban curbside puppy sales, flea-market kitten tables, and pop-up 'free to good home' boxes on sidewalks. The section then lists carve-outs that narrow it substantially. Hatcheries and stores may still sell live chicks and ducklings raised in proper brooder facilities for domestic or commercial use. 010 as 'any premises devoted to the commercial trade of selling live animals for use as pets,' may sell or display dogs, cats, or other animals as long as the animals are kept in humane display facilities rather than out on the sidewalk or in a stacked cage.
A family may still give away or sell its own pet, or the offspring of that pet, without running afoul of the section. And any sale made from private agricultural or residential property, such as a farm selling its own livestock or a household rehoming a litter, is exempt outright. Santa Rosa has not adopted a citywide adoption-only mandate for pet stores; the local rule targets the manner and location of the sale rather than banning commercial dog and cat retail itself. 010, carrying up to a $1,000 fine and six months in county jail, or charge it as an infraction with smaller fines.
Violations & Fines
Violating § 7-08.060, such as selling or displaying an animal on a public street or sidewalk outside the exempted categories, is a Title 7 offense enforceable under § 1-28.010: a misdemeanor punishable by up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months in county jail, or both, or an infraction carrying up to $250 for a first offense and up to $500 for a repeat offense within a year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can pet stores in Santa Rosa still sell dogs and cats?
Is it legal to sell puppies from a sidewalk table or flea market booth in Santa Rosa?
Can I give my own dog's puppies away for free without a permit?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Rosa
California rules heatmap·Compare Santa Rosa to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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How other cities in Sonoma County handle pet store rules.