Fresno County, CA Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)

Fresno County Code Section 9.05.050(B) bars presenting any dog or cat for sale, barter, exchange, or adoption, whether for compensation or otherwise, in any public place within the County, defining public place broadly to include streets, highways, sidewalks, businesses, shopping malls, flea markets, swap meets, and areas in front of commercial establishments. Three narrow exceptions exist: tax-exempt nonprofit rescues and humane societies running an Adoption Event under Section 9.04.115, permitted dog or cat shows, and permitted pet stores which sell or otherwise transfer dogs or cats within the store pursuant to Health and Safety Code Section 122350 et seq., California's statewide requirement that retail pet stores source animals from shelters or rescues rather than commercial breeders.

Subsection C closes the private-sale and internet loophole: even on private property, or online through social media or a website used to reach the public, no one may sell, barter, exchange or offer a dog or cat for adoption without first obtaining a breeding permit and a business license from the county, regardless of whether the animal was bred or born in Fresno County. Sellers must display their unaltered dog license, business license, and any breeding permit number in every advertisement, and give that information to the buyer and on any sale receipt. The ordinance separately bars giving away a dog or cat as a contest prize or as a lure to enter a business, and bars any sale, barter, exchange or adoption offer to a minor under eighteen.