Snohomish County, WA Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- License required
- SCC 6.06.015, $200.00/year
- Sick-animal sale ban
- SCC 6.06.016(10)
- Resale without license
- Barred under SCC 6.06.016(14)
- 1st sick-animal violation
- 6-month license suspension
- Outdoor quiet hours
- 10 p.m.-6 a.m. weekdays
Summary
Snohomish County does not ban pet stores from selling dogs or cats, but every pet shop in the unincorporated county needs a license under SCC 6.06.015 and pays $200.00 a year. Stores cannot sell sick, diseased, or injured animals, and a kennel that resells animals it did not breed must hold a separate pet shop license.
(10) sick, diseased or injured animals shall not be sold. They shall be separated from healthy, normal animals, and shall be removed from display and kept in isolation quarters with adequate ventilation to prevent contamination of healthy animals and humans; ... (14) private kennel and/or commercial kennel owners and/or operators may not purchase and/or acquire animals for the purpose of resale without first obtaining a pet shop license; (15) private kennel owners, commercial kennel owners or pet shop owners determined to be knowingly selling sick, diseased and/or injured animals shall have their license suspended for 6 months for the first violation; suspended for 1 year for the second violation; revoked permanently for the third violation;
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through legislation passed August 12, 2026).
Full Breakdown
005(13) defines a "pet shop" as any person or establishment that acquires, holds, or offers for sale to the public animals it did not breed and whelp on-site, distinguishing it from a private or commercial kennel that sells its own litters. 050(2)) must be posted at the store. 016 apply: adequate floor space so each animal can turn around and stand comfortably, refrigerated storage for perishable food, daily removal of waste, and a prohibition on misrepresenting an animal's condition to a buyer. Two provisions target the puppy-mill resale problem directly.
016(10) bars selling any sick, diseased, or injured animal; sick animals must be pulled from display and isolated with adequate ventilation. 016(14) prohibits a private or commercial kennel owner from acquiring animals for resale without first obtaining a pet shop license, closing off the option of running an unlicensed resale operation under a kennel license. 070). 016(13)).
Violations & Fines
Knowingly selling a sick, diseased, or injured animal draws an escalating license suspension under SCC 6.06.016(15): six months for a first violation, one year for a second, and permanent revocation for a third. Operating without any pet shop license is a civil violation under SCC 6.01.210, carrying $100.00, then $250.00, then $500.00 per day for repeated offenses, enforced by the licensing authority.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can pet stores sell dogs and cats in Snohomish County?
Can a kennel resell animals it didn't breed?
What happens if a pet shop sells a sick animal?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Snohomish County
Compare Snohomish County to another location·View the Washington animal ordinances overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.