It’s Official: Las Vegas Bans Pet Store Animal Sales in Landmark 5–2 Vote

Las Vegas has made history.

In a sweeping 5-2 vote on November 5, 2025, the City Council passed a groundbreaking ordinance banning the retail sale of dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, and potbellied pigs in pet stores — a move animal advocates say will change the face of animal welfare across Southern Nevada.

The decision followed years of fierce debate, powerful lobbying, and emotional testimony from residents demanding reform.

The new law takes immediate effect for all newly licensed pet stores and gives the city’s 13 existing shops three years — until November 6, 2028 — to transition away from selling live animals. It’s a landmark shift for Las Vegas, aligning the city with Clark County and North Las Vegas, both of which already have full bans in place.

A New Era for Animal Welfare

The ordinance represents a dramatic turning point in the city’s long-running battle over pet-store regulation. Beginning immediately, no new pet stores can sell live animals, while existing shops must stop by 2028 — or sooner if they relocate, change ownership, or lose their licenses.

Pet stores aren’t being forced out of business entirely. They can continue selling food, toys, and grooming products and even partner with rescue groups to host adoption events.

The focus is squarely on ending the commercial breeding pipeline that supplies pet stores with animals from out-of-state “puppy mills.”

The law also introduces stronger welfare protections for animals currently housed in stores. Dogs must be kept in clean, enclosed areas that reduce stress and prevent disease transmission, and those under medical treatment must be quarantined in ventilated rooms with dedicated sinks and supplies.

Shops are required to provide one-year warranties for congenital defects and 14-day protections for illnesses in puppies, along with at least 30 days of free health insurance for every dog sold.

Cracking Down on Bad Breeders

Under the new rules, Las Vegas pet stores may only work with breeders who are fully compliant with state and federal law, hold current USDA licenses, and have spotless inspection records for at least two years. Breeders with serious or repeated non-compliance issues — or those who refused USDA access during inspections — are banned from the supply chain.

Violators face fines ranging from $250 to $500 per offense, and repeat offenders risk having their business permits revoked.

“This law sends a message that Las Vegas will no longer tolerate profit built on cruelty,” said Rebecca Goff, Nevada state director for Humane World for Animals, whose team spent months rallying public support.

Years in the Making

The path to this vote has been long and fraught.

Las Vegas first passed a similar ban in 2016, only to repeal it in November 2017, when a newly seated council voted 4-3 to overturn the measure under pressure from pet-store lobbyists and business owners. That reversal was widely seen as a setback for animal-welfare advocates.

But 2025 saw a resurgence in momentum. Groups including the Las Vegas Valley Humane Society and Heaven Wait, a local low-cost spay-and-neuter clinic, mounted an extensive public campaign featuring television ads exposing puppy-mill cruelty, emotional testimony before council meetings, and coordinated efforts with local shelters such as The Animal Foundation.

The final version of the ordinance — backed by Councilmembers Victoria Seaman and Nancy Brune — went further than earlier drafts by ensuring an eventual total end to live-animal sales.

The Puppy-Mill Pipeline

At the heart of the debate lies the puppy-mill industry — vast, industrial breeding operations often criticized for poor living conditions.

According to Humane World for Animals’ 2025 Horrible Hundred report, many dogs in these facilities live in cramped cages, suffer untreated injuries, and are bred repeatedly with little regard for health or genetics.

Federal enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act has been notoriously weak.

A recent lawsuit accuses the USDA of failing to penalize breeders despite clear evidence of abuse, with no fines issued against commercial dog dealers since 2017.

By cutting off the retail market in Las Vegas, advocates believe the city is effectively closing one of the last major distribution hubs for these mills in the Southwest.

Shelters in Crisis

The urgency behind the ordinance is underscored by the dire conditions in local shelters.

The Animal Foundation, Nevada’s largest, has been operating at or above capacity for months, housing as many as 555 dogs at one time and receiving more than 950 animals in just 11 days this past summer.

Despite an $11.5 million annual budget, the shelter has been forced to euthanize some healthy, adoptable pets due to space shortages.

CEO Hilarie Grey told council members: “There is simply no justification for continuing the puppy pipeline. Our shelters are overflowing with animals waiting for homes — every breed, every size, every age.”

While the exact number of animals euthanized last year remains unconfirmed, advocates say reducing commercial breeding is critical to ending the cycle of overcrowding and euthanasia across the valley.

Opposition from the Pet Industry

The Pet Advocacy Network, which represents national pet retailers, strongly opposed the ban, arguing that all breeders supplying pet stores are USDA-regulated and that the law could drive more consumers toward unregulated backyard breeders or online sellers.

Some store owners testified that advocacy campaigns had misrepresented their practices and relied on outdated images. “We don’t get them from what people call puppy mills,” said one shop manager during the hearing.

But their arguments failed to sway the majority of council members, who sided with overwhelming community support for the ban.

What This Means for Pet Owners

For Las Vegas residents, the ordinance won’t limit their options — it will change where those options come from.

Instead of shopping for animals in retail stores, prospective pet owners will be encouraged to adopt from shelters and rescue organizations or work directly with responsible, small-scale breeders.

Local stores may also host adoption events in partnership with shelters, following a model that has proved successful in California and Arizona.

“This is about compassion and ethics, not elimination,” said Goff. “Families will still bring home pets — but those pets won’t come from suffering.”

A Regional and National Shift

Las Vegas now joins a growing list of U.S. cities leading the charge against retail pet sales.

California became the first state to enact a statewide ban in 2019, later tightening it to close loopholes that allowed breeders to sell through online brokers.

Clark County and North Las Vegas have already implemented similar local bans, and several more Nevada jurisdictions are considering following suit.

A statewide version of this ordinance — known as Cindy Lou’s Law — failed to pass earlier this year after industry pushback, making Las Vegas’s vote even more significant.

The Road Ahead

The ordinance takes effect in 90 days, with immediate implications for new stores and enhanced welfare standards for current operators. The three-year phase-out period for live-animal sales gives existing shops until 2028 to adapt or close.

By that date, Las Vegas will have fully joined the ranks of cities turning away from retail pet sales — a change animal advocates say will save thousands of lives.

“This was years in the making,” said one local activist after the vote. “We lost in 2017, but we didn’t stop fighting. Tonight, Las Vegas showed the nation that persistence pays off — and compassion wins.”