Waukesha, WI Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)

06, 'Sale Of Cats, Dogs, And Rabbits Prohibited,' states its purpose is to protect animal health and welfare and to discourage large-scale commercial breeding and the unethical treatment that occurs at such facilities. The core prohibition bars any Retailer with a retail place of business in the City of Waukesha from selling cats, dogs, or rabbits in the city; a Retailer is defined as anyone holding a seller's permit from the Wisconsin Department of Revenue, excluding Animal Care Facilities and Animal Rescue Organizations. The ordinance carves out adoption: stores may still display and offer animals supplied by an Animal Care Facility (a government-run or contracted shelter focused on rescue and placement) or an Animal Rescue Organization (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with the same mission) for adoption, as long as no consideration changes hands.

'Sale or Sell' is defined broadly to cover money, virtual currency, bartered goods, credit exchanges, and trades of other animals or property, but specifically excludes at-cost fees for vaccination, microchipping, spaying, or neutering. 05, and the code specifies that each animal offered for sale in violation counts as a separate violation, multiplying exposure for stores that keep multiple non-compliant animals on hand. The Common Council adopted the section by Ordinance 2022-7 on June 21, 2022, and it includes its own severability clause preserving the rest of the section if any part is struck down.