Westminster, CO Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- W.M.C. § 6-7-12(G)
- Retail dog/cat sales
- Banned citywide
- Rescue adoption events
- Allowed, no fee/ownership stake
- Minimum sale age
- 8 weeks (dogs/cats)
- Class B pet shop bond
- $10,000.00 surety bond
- Retail ban penalty
- Criminal offense, § 1-8-1
Summary
No retail store in Westminster may sell, deliver, or offer for adoption any dog or cat. Stores can still host lawful rescue or shelter adoption events on-site, provided they take no ownership stake or adoption fee and post the rescue's name on each animal's enclosure.
Restrictions on the Sale of Animals:(1)No retail store or its owner, operator or employees shall sell, deliver, offer for sale or adoption, advertise for sale of, barter, auction, give away, or otherwise transfer or dispose of cats or dogs.(2)This prohibition shall not apply to lawfully operated animal rescue organizations, and animal shelters.(4)Nothing in this section shall prevent a retail store...from providing space and appropriate care for dogs and cats owned by a lawfully operated animal rescue organization or animal shelter for the purpose of...adopting those animals to the public, provided that...(a)The retail store shall not have any ownership interest in the animals offered for adoption and shall not receive a fee for the animals adopted, or for providing space or appropriate care.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 12).
Full Breakdown
Section 6-7-12(G) of the Westminster Municipal Code flatly bars a retail store, its owner, operators, or employees from selling, delivering, offering for sale or adoption, advertising, bartering, auctioning, or otherwise transferring cats or dogs, which functions as the city's puppy-mill retail ban. The ban carves out lawfully operated animal rescue organizations and shelters, and it lets a retail store host adoption space for a rescue or shelter's own dogs and cats, but only if the store has no ownership interest in those animals, collects no fee for the adoption or the space, and posts a conspicuous sign on each enclosure naming the rescue or shelter that supplied the animal.
The Code separately bans selling any cat or dog on a street, right-of-way, park, median, parking lot, or outdoor market, and bans knowingly selling any animal that is weak, sick, unweaned, or under eight weeks old. 00 surety bond payable to the City.
Violations & Fines
Violating the retail dog/cat sale ban in Section 6-7-12(G) is a criminal offense under Section 1-8-1, W.M.C., punishable by fine or confinement, the same elevated tier as the exotic-animal ban. Operating a pet shop without the correct Class A or Class B license, per Section 6-7-11(A), is a civil infraction carrying a fine of up to $500.00, and the City Manager may revoke or suspend a pet shop license for code violations under Section 6-7-11(C).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a pet store in Westminster, Colorado sell puppies or kittens?
Can a Westminster pet shop still sell exotic animals like reptiles?
Is it legal to sell a dog on the street or in a parking lot in Westminster?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Westminster
Compare Westminster to another location·View the Colorado animal ordinances overview
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