Tucson, AZ Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Retail sale ban
- No blanket ban: sourcing restricted
- Allowed source
- Pounds, nonprofit humane societies, their adoptions
- Recordkeeping duration
- 2 years, open to inspection
- First violation penalty
- Up to $1,000 civil penalty
- Third+ violation penalty
- Up to $5,000 plus 3-year sales injunction
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 11741, 3-17-20
Summary
Tucson doesn't ban pet stores from selling dogs and cats outright, but it bans sourcing them from unlicensed or repeat-violation USDA breeders. Stores may still sell animals obtained from a public pound, a nonprofit humane society, or any pound/humane society adoption event.
A pet store or pet dealer may not obtain a dog or cat for resale or sell or offer for sale any dog or cat obtained from a person who is required to be licensed by the pet dealer regulations of the United States department of agriculture under the animal welfare act (7 United States Code §§ 2131 through 2159) if any of the following applies: The person is not currently licensed... Notwithstanding subsections (b) and (c) of this section, a pet store or pet dealer may obtain a dog or cat for resale or sell or offer for sale any dog or cat obtained from a publicly operated pound or a private, charitable nonprofit humane society or from any animal adoption activity conducted by a pound or humane society.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-150: Current through June 23, 2026).
Full Breakdown
City Code Sec. 7-505 defines a "pet dealer" as anyone who owns or operates a "pet store," meaning a for-profit retail seller of cats, dogs, or other animals (excluding livestock operations and auction markets, and excluding pounds and nonprofit humane societies). §§ 2131-2159), that committed a direct AWA violation within the prior two years, that received an "indirect no access" violation on each of its two most recent USDA inspections, or that committed three or more indirect health/welfare violations in the prior two years. Subsection (c) extends the ban to any dog or cat obtained indirectly through such a disqualified source, though a store acts in good faith if it searches the USDA's Animal Care Information System before placing an order.
Subsection (d) carves out the one path stores can still use: dogs and cats obtained from a publicly operated pound, a private charitable nonprofit humane society, or any adoption activity a pound or humane society runs off-site. Subsection (e) requires pet dealers to keep sourcing records for at least two years, open to inspection by any municipal or county peace officer or enforcement official. Subsection (f) requires displaying the breeder's name, USDA license number (if licensed), and the USDA website for that breeder, posted both on the animal's cage and on any printed or electronic marketing for that specific animal. The ordinance was adopted by Ord. No. 11741 on 3-17-20.
Violations & Fines
Violations of subsections (e) and (f) (recordkeeping and disclosure) are civil infractions carrying a penalty of not more than $1,000 per violation. A pet store or dealer that knowingly (or should have known it) violates the sourcing bans in subsections (b)/(c) or A.R.S. § 44-1799.10(A)/(B) faces escalating civil penalties: up to $1,000 for a first violation, up to $2,500 for a second violation within five years, and for a third or subsequent violation within five years, up to $5,000 plus a court order enjoining the store from selling any dog or cat from a non-exempt source for up to three years.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can pet stores in Tucson sell dogs and cats?
Is Tucson a puppy-mill-free city?
What records must a Tucson pet store keep?
What happens if a Tucson pet store violates the sourcing ban?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Tucson
Compare Tucson to another location·View the Arizona animal ordinances overview
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