The city of West Hollywood has officially adopted an ordinance that bans the sales of nearly all live animals by pet stores. City councilmembers first voted on the measure in late August.
Ordinance No. 25-21 expands on the city’s existing ban on the retail sale of dogs and cats, which has been in effect for over a decade.
Since 2010, the West Hollywood Municipal Code Chapter 9.50.020 states that 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.”
With the approval of the ordinance, the ban now extends to 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. Stores will have until May 1, 2026, to comply with the updated ordinance.
Animal advocates say the extended ban is a win.
“West Hollywood has taken a stand against an abusive industry that sees thinking, feeling beings as nothing more than commodities and condemns them to a lifetime of misery,” PETA president Tracy Reiman said in a statement. “PETA is celebrating the compassionate decision by Mayor Chelsea Byers and the entire City Council to enact this lifesaving law and is urging other cities to follow their lead.”
The city also has a ban prohibiting 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.”
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