In a unanimous decision on Monday, the City of West Hollywood voted to ban the sale of nearly all live animals by pet stores.
The vote expands the city’s existing ban on the retail sale of dogs and cats, which has been in effect for over a decade.
According to West Hollywood Municipal Code Chapter 9.50.020, no pet store within city limits shall “display, sell, deliver, offer for sale, barter, auction, give away, or otherwise transfer or dispose of dogs or cats,” and it’s been that way since Sept. 17, 2010.
Further city policy outlined in the separate West Hollywood Fur Ban made WeHo the first jurisdiction in the entire U.S. to prohibit the sale of fur apparel products, including “any item of personal attire, clothing or garment, which is composed in whole or in part from the pelt or skin of any animal with its hair, fleece (wool) or fur attached.”
Since Sept. 21. 2013, the only entities allowed to engage in the sale of fur apparel products within city limits are non-profits; however, animals preserved for the purpose of taxidermy are still permitted. The law also permitted used fur products to be sold by private parties – excluding retail transactions – as well as in second-hand stores and pawn shops.
Fast forward to 2025 and the city is going even further to protect animals, with the West Hollywood City Council voting unanimously on Monday to amend Chapter 9.50.020, extending the ban to include not just cats and dogs, but also amphibians, arachnids, birds, fish, hermit crabs, mammals such as rodents and rabbits, and reptiles.
According to the WeHo Times, the expanded ban does affect the city’s only pet store: the Petco on North Doheny Drive, which currently sells hamsters, guinea pigs and, occasionally, fish. The outlet also reported that the ordinance was drafted following an advocacy campaign from the Society for the Protection of Animals, Los Angeles (spcaLA), which released a statement on Wednesday further explaining their initiative:
“Last year, spcaLA urged the city to extend the ban to include more species. Just like puppy mills, animals that are bred for retail sales often live in filthy, crowded conditions that leave the animals susceptible to illness, suffering, and even death. spcaLA’s letter also outlined the Pet Trade Industry’s “reckless disregard” for human and animal health as they are unconcerned for public health issues (zoonotic diseases), environmental impact (poaching, invasive species), and the impact on local shelters.”
spcaLA president Madeline Bernstein went on to say that West Hollywood’s “visionary leaders” are paving the way for more jurisdictions to follow suit and create “the most mindful and humane world for animals, plants and the environment.”
“Where West Hollywood goes – such as banning cat declawing and the sale of fur – so does California, and eventually the country,” Bernstein said.
The amendment is expected to be finalized by mid-September. Compliance enforcement will begin following an amortization period, which lasts until May 1, 2026.
West Hollywood has long been a haven for animals and animal rights activists. For example, back in 1989, the city designated itself as a “Cruelty Free Zone” for animals. In 2004, cat declawing was outlawed in the city — the first such law in American history — and four years later, officials adopted a resolution supporting Proposition 2, the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, which went on to become a state law.
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