Truckee, CA Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- TMC § 8.02.020
- Effective date
- Ord. 2016-01, January 9, 2016
- Rescue exception
- Tax-exempt animal rescue group adoptions only
- Breeder exclusion
- Self-bred/raised animal sellers are not covered
- Default penalty
- $100/$200/$500 infraction (TMC § 1.02.040)
Summary
Chapter 8.02 of the Truckee Municipal Code bans pet stores from selling, displaying, adopting out, bartering, auctioning, or giving away cats or dogs in Town limits, unless the store is working with an established tax-exempt animal rescue group. The ban took effect under Ordinance 2016-01 on January 9, 2016.
No pet store operator or pet store shall display, sell, deliver, offer for sale or adoption except in conjunction with an established tax-exempt animal rescue group, barter, auction, give away, or otherwise dispose of cats or dogs in the Town of Truckee.
Full Breakdown
020 is short and absolute: no pet store operator or pet store shall display, sell, deliver, offer for sale or adoption except in conjunction with an established tax-exempt animal rescue group, barter, auction, give away, or otherwise dispose of cats or dogs in the Town of Truckee. The only carve-out in the text is a store partnering with a tax-exempt rescue group for adoption events. 010 defines 'Pet Store' as any retail establishment open to the public that sells or offers for sale animals, including animals meant as food for other animals, and it expressly excludes breeders: a person who sells only animals they bred or raised themselves, or who sells animals kept for reproduction, is a breeder, not a pet store, and falls outside the ban.
The chapter has no separate licensing or inspection regime; it is a flat prohibition rather than a permit system. 02 carries no dedicated penalty section of its own, a violation defaults to the Municipal Code's general violations chapter, which classifies an unspecified Code violation as an infraction unless the Code designates it a misdemeanor.
Violations & Fines
There is no penalty clause inside Chapter 8.02 itself, so a violation falls under the Code's default rule in § 1.02.010(a): any violation not separately designated a misdemeanor is an infraction, punishable under § 1.02.040(b) by up to $100 for a first conviction, $200 for a second within a year, and $500 for a third or later conviction in that period. A third infraction of the same provision can be prosecuted as a misdemeanor under § 1.02.010(b).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can any store in Truckee sell puppies or kittens?
Does the ban stop a breeder from selling puppies directly?
What is the penalty for a pet store that violates the ban?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Truckee
California rules heatmap·Compare Truckee to another location·View the California animal ordinances overview
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