Florida

What’s Hot … UPDATE: 09/01/2026 Palm Beach County, Florida Board of County Commissioners Meeting on Hobby Breeder Restrictions and Other Updates to its Animal Care and Control Ordinance

 

Kelly Crouch, CFA Legislative Information Liaison

The Palm Beach County, FL Board of Commissioners has added the preliminary reading of the proposed repeal and replace Animal Care and Control Ordinance to the September 1, 2026 Board of County Commissioners meeting agenda. The Commission will also decide whether to advertise the ordinance at that meeting. The draft ordinance would affect cat and dog hobby breeders in the county and would make hobby breeding more expensive by increasing hobby breeder permit fees from $150 to $400 per year. According to the ordinance summary, the increase is meant to cover the cost of implementing the program, which is currently $66,000 per year. Mandatory inspections would be conducted at least once a year as a condition of annual permit renewal. Cats over four months and dogs over six months must be sterilized without an approved hobby breeder permit and an intact license. Only one Hobby permit shall be issued per parcel of land. A hobby breeder is defined as “any person who intentionally or unintentionally causes or allows the breeding or studding of a dog or cat or engages in the breeding of up to two (2) litters of dogs or cats or nineteen (19) dogs or cats per household or premises per one-year period.” [Emphasis added.]

 The proposed draft removes the term “or unintentional” from the definition of hobby breeder, but unintentional shows up in the new definition of illegal breeder. An “Illegal breeder shall mean any person who intentionally or unintentionally causes or allows the breeding or studding of a dog or cat or engages in such without an approved Hobby Breeder permit”. Illegal breeders must sterilize their animals within 30 days of the notice of noncompliance. They will also be ineligible for a Hobby Breeder permit for one year. There are no lesser penalties for a first-time offense.

Hobby breeding is already very restrictive in the county. The proposed draft would significantly increase costs for hobby breeders. With the illegal breeder provisions, it could end breeding programs and eliminate valuable lines important to maintaining genetic diversity and health in the breed.

Other proposed changes include clarifying the number of animals allowed for certain size parcels of land, reducing the hold period in shelters for cats without microchips (electronic animal identification device), commercial breeder requirements, and the manner of keeping animals.  

Agendas for the Board of Commissioners can be found at https://discover.pbc.gov/countycommissioners/Pages/Meeting-Dates.aspx

The proposed ordinance can be found at http://www.pbcgov.com/pubInf/Agenda/20260901/5D1.pdf

What’s Hot … Hobby Breeder Restrictions in Palm Beach County, Florida, andSpay/Neuter in Monterey County, California and Honolulu, Hawaii

 

Kelly Crouch, CFA Legislative Information Liaison

Palm Beach County, Florida
The Palm Beach County, FL Board of Commissioners is considering amendments to the animal ordinance that would make its extremely restrictive hobby breeder ordinance even more restrictive. Currently, a hobby breeder is defined as “ any person who intentionally or unintentionally causes or allows the breeding or studding of a dog or cat or engages in the breeding of up to two (2) litters of dogs or cats or nineteen (19) dogs or cats per household or premises per one-year period.” Proposed changes would reduce the cap to one litter of dogs or cats and eliminate the language about 19 dogs or cats. The threshold for commercial breeders
would similarly be reduced to more than one litter. If adopted, hobby breeders will have to decide whether to reduce their activities accordingly or become commercial breeders. Prior to making that decision, the breeder will want to become familiar with the commercial breeder requirements, which are also subject to amendment. Maintaining a genetically diverse program with two litters per year is exceedingly difficult; trying to do that with one litter per year guarantees the number of commercial breeders in the county, adding to the unnecessary burden borne by the County and small home breeders alike.
The proposal also seeks to amend the animals-per-acreage section of the law. As it stands, a person could have ten Great Danes without obtaining an excessive animal permit, whereas on the same property, 12 cats would be a violation. The suggested amendments would also take into consideration the type of property. It also eliminates the excessive animal permit. Among
the other changes are amendments to the dog and cat sales requirements, hold times, and facility requirements.
The Department of Public Safety, Animal Care and Control Division will be holding another public comment session on the proposed ordinance on Saturday, July 11, 2026.


Monterey County, California
County officials are poised to adopt an ordinance requiring dogs and cats in the county’s unincorporated areas to be sterilized. Ordinance 26-008 has revised the sterilization exemptions in Ordinance 26-005, added unaltered animal certificates and breeder permits. Anyone who allows a dog or cat kept within the unincorporated areas of the county to breed “with the intent to sell, gift, or transfer the offspring for money” must first obtain an annual breeder permit. The Animal Control Officer will establish program procedures, including limiting the number of permits that can be issued in a given year. Permits will not be issued for animals
under one year of age or over seven years of age. Ordinance 26-008 was presented at the June 23rd County of Monterey Board meeting, with a motion to introduce the ordinance, waive the first reading, and place it on the July 7, 2026, meeting consent agenda for final approval (it may be removed from the consent agenda upon request). The Board unanimously adopted the motion.


Honolulu, Hawaii
Hawaiians faced several attempts to get a mandatory spay/neuter law enacted at the state level. One concern about making sterilization mandatory for all cat- and dog-owning residents was the high cost of sterilization surgery that pet owners are facing these days. Honolulu is developing rules and regulations for its spay/neuter program. Prices range from $100 to $450
for city residents. The fees may increase depending on the pet’s age and weight. The proposed rules also authorize much lower fees for homeless and low-income residents meeting certain conditions. As residents can anticipate future mandatory spay/neuter efforts, fanciers may want to monitor proposed rules for the city’s spay/neuter program and require transparency to evaluate the program’s effectiveness. Honolulu’s Department of Customer Service is seeking public input at an in-person public hearing on July 9, 2026. The draft rules and more information are available here.

What’s Hot … Mid-session Updates: FL, GA, HI, IA, and MD

 

Kelly Crouch, CFA Legislative Information Liaison

Florida
There have been many attempts over the past 29 years to regulate dog breeders in the state. Once again, those efforts died when SB 1356 and HB 1521 failed to progress.
Senate Bill 1004 amends the consumer protection laws governing pet sales and animal cruelty. It has been enrolled and sent to the governor. If enacted, the pet dealer threshold is raised to selling more than three litters or 30 dogs or cats per year, record-
keeping requirements are added for all pet dealers, and best management practices are established for dog breeders. The bill was signed by the governor.

Georgia
Senate Bill 590 would have expanded regulations on dog breeders had it been enacted. Cat breeders would not have been impacted. Georgia has one of the most restrictive cat and dog breeder laws in the country. Fortunately, the bill died and will not carry over into 2027.

Hawaii
Several bills were introduced in Hawaii that would have burdened cat and dog breeders. House Bill
1594 and SB 3012 would prohibit intact cats and dogs from being imported unless the breeder was registered with the
Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity. House Bill 1736-2 would establish a spay/neuter fund at the cost of mandating the sterilization of all cats. Any free-roaming cats caught and sterilized could only be placed in sanctuaries. Fortunately, all these bills died and will not carry over to 2027. Fanciers should expect renewed efforts in 2027.

Iowa
Senate Bill 2306 would have subjected “commercial” breeders to inspection. It would have defined a commercial breeder as “a
person, engaged in the business of breeding dogs or cats, who sells, exchanges, or leases dogs or cats in return for consideration, or who offers to do so, whether or not the animals are raised, trained, groomed, or boarded by the person. A person who owns or harbors three or fewer breeding males or females is not a commercial breeder.” It died.

Maryland
House Bill 1551 died when the legislature adjourned. The bill would have established the Dog Breeder Accountability
Fund and imposed mandates on dog breeders, including requiring that every puppy be issued a birth certificate by the state.

What’s Hot: Hobby Breeders Targeted in Missouri Bill …. and, in other news, Florida Pet Dealer Requirements may be Subject to Change

 

Kelly Crouch, CFA Legislative Information Liaison

Missouri regulates breeders, shelters, dealers, and pet shops under the 1992 Animal Care Facilities Act (AFCA). The proposed HB 2567 aims to redefine commercial and hobby breeders and remove the exemption benefiting hobby breeders, which could significantly affect their breeding programs.

If enacted, the commercial breeder definition would no longer exclude hobby or show breeders. Hobby breeders would no longer be limited to noncommercial breeders. The critical change for hobby breeders would be the repeal of §273.342 (2). This section of AFCA requires that hobby or show breeders register annually, but are exempt from the licensure and inspection requirements of §§ 273.325 – 373.357. Should HB 2567 be enacted, the only breeders exempt from the AFCA licensing requirements are those who harbor three or less intact females.

The Missouri legislative session runs from January 7 through May 30, 2026. House Bill 2567 had its first reading on the first day of the session. The second reading was held the next day, on January 8. Currently, there are no cosponsors. Fanciers can review and monitor the bill’s progress here. As a member of the cat fancy, your voice is vital to protect your cats and hobby from restrictive anti-breeder legislation!

In other news… Florida Pet Dealer Requirements may be Subject to Change

Fanciers, wherever located, who place pets in Florida will want to monitor Florida Senate Bill 1356 and the related bill, SB 1004. Not only would SB 1356 affect dog breeders if this latest attempt for more restrictive legislation is enacted, but both bills would also change the record-keeping and financing requirements for pet dealers. In Florida,  a pet dealer “means any person, firm, partnership, corporation, or other association which, in the ordinary course of business, engages in the sale of more than two litters, or 20 dogs or cats, per year, whichever is greater, to the public. This definition includes breeders of animals who sell such animals directly to a consumer.”

Legislation – What’s Hot . . . . Whatever Happened to This Legislation? CA, CO, FL, GA, HI, IL, KS, and NH

 

October 2020

Kelly Crouch, CFA Legislative Information Liaison
Sharon Coleman, CFA Legislative Legal Analyst

This unusual year made it easy to lose track of state bills and local ordinances. The usual procedures would change unexpectedly leaving everyone – from lawmakers to the public – scrambling to adjust to the monkey wrenches thrown at legislative processes. Legislative priorities quickly focused the limited time and resources on pandemic related legislation with animal bills largely limited to time-sensitive topics. Some measures were enacted while others were simply not heard regardless of need, merit, or improbability.

Many of the 2020 bills or ordinances were retail pet store proposals prohibiting or restricting the sale of cats, dogs, and rabbits on the theory of eliminating “inhumane” breeding. In California, these addressed specific problems that had arisen with enforcement of previously enacted legislation. California Assembly Bill 2152 was signed by the Governor and removes the option for stores to legally acquire “rescue” animals but added express provisions for “showcasing” by public agencies and shelters with a newly narrowed definition for “animal rescue” groups. The state of Colorado, as well as local jurisdictions located therein, Fairplay and Silverthorne, also considered the issue. There were also bills considered in Florida, Kansas, and Naperville, Illinois. The Naperville ordinance allows pet stores to only sell dogs and cats obtained from or displayed in cooperation with humane or welfare organizations or animal rescue groups and revised the rescue definition to exclude relationships with breeders or brokers to deter use of fraudulent rescue groups as happened in Chicago and California.

Evanston, Illinois went further than a pet shop ban by prohibiting sales of cats and dogs from all but USDA licensed breeders. There was no exemption for hobby breeders.

The New Hampshire pet vendor definition thresholds were once again the subject of legislation this year.

Georgia considered a bill that would have required surety bonds of up to $500,000 for all pet dealers. The March 2020 issue of What’s Hot explains why this would include anyone having a single litter.

Honolulu, Hawaii adopted a mandatory microchip ordinance.

As usual, there were bills relating to animal cruelty. One of these was the Florida Allie’s Law bill that would have mandated veterinarians report animal cruelty. Note that a number of states do mandate veterinarian reporting, some just allow it and some have no law at all.

To view all the legislation discussed above, click here to see the chart. https://cfalegislativegroup.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/whats-hot-chart-october-2020.pdf

Other states are still in session, and local legislation can happen at any time. Although many things are clamoring for your attention, please keep your eyes and ears open for legislation affecting you. If you have any concerns or questions about legislation, contact the CFA Legislative Group at the email below. We also have a Facebook page and blog for information of interest to you.

Recent CFA Legislative Group Blog Posts: What’s Hot………… Burke County, North Carolina –– From Animal Services Reform Efforts to Mandatory Sterilization with Breeder Permit Proposal

whats-hot-chart-october-2020-1Download
      whats-hot-chart-october-2020-1Download

      Legislation – What’s Hot . . . . . . . . Florida Pet Store Bans, Preemption, and Hobby Breeders; New Hampshire’s Pet Vendor Definition in the News Again

       

      Legislation – What’s Hot, February 2020

      Kelly S. Crouch, CFA Legislative Information Liaison

      Florida

      Pet stores in Florida seeking legislation that would give them access to legal sources of animals to purchase for resale without running afoul of local prohibitions have, perhaps inadvertently, brought fanciers into the debate and potentially subject to unnecessary regulation. In the introduced versions of companion bills, Senate Bill 1698 and House Bill 1237, hobby breeders are defined as “an establishment that: (a) sells no more than four puppies or adult dogs and no more than four kittens or adult cats in any calendar year: or (b) keeps, houses, and maintains in any location no more than three intact adult female dogs, one intact male adult dog, three intact female cats, and one intact male adult cat.” Both subsections create problems for the small scale home breeder. While cat litters average three to four offspring, a single litter may produce five or six kittens. Even twelve kittens in a single litter are known to happen. However, under subsection (a), a hobby breeder would only be able to sell up to four of the kittens. Also, this section in effect unreasonably restricts the number of litters the hobby breeder may have, thereby putting the reproductive health of all the females in the breeder’s possession at risk. In subsection (b), the limits on adult males and females maintained falls below the minimum necessary for closed catteries to maintain genetic diversity. Under the proposed bills, all pet stores located in the state would also be limited to sourcing cats and dogs from authorized sources, including hobby breeders and adhere to the other licensing, standards, and record-keeping mandates of the legislation. As is often the case with companion bills, they can progress at different speeds if at all. House Bill 1237 by Representative Brian Avila (R-111), is still in its original form. However, S.B. 1698, by Senator Manny Diaz (R-36), has been significantly amended although neither bill has been heard in committee. In the Senate Committee on Innovation, Industry, and Technology Amendment 706506 filed on January 31, 2020, everything after the enacting clause was deleted and replaced with new language. In this amendment, the pet store regulation provisions remained, and hobby breeders were removed. However, cat fanciers that are licensed as a Class A animal dealers by the United States Department of Agriculture may qualify to be a source for licensed pet stores under the amendment. If a cat fancier is unfamiliar with the USDA APHIS Pet Dealer exemptions, the Hobby Dealer Exemption Flowchart available on the CFA Legislative Group Blog will help with your analysis.

      New Hampshire

      Representative Howard Pearl (R-26) introduced House Bill 1630-FN on January 6, 2020, that would once again amend the definition of pet vendor. Fanciers may recall the legislative maneuverings relating to the definition of pet vendor from 2019 when legislators succeeded in expanding the definition of pet vendor by including the language in the budget bill H.B. 4 after efforts through regular procedural channels failed. With the budget bill, the Pet Vendor definition decreased the threshold for licensing to anyone who “transfers 25 or more dogs, 25 or more cats, 30 or more ferrets, or 50 or more birds customarily used as household pets, with or without a fee or donation required, and whether or not a physical facility is owned by the licensee in New Hampshire, between July 1 and June 30 of each year.” Representative Pearl’s bill would raise the threshold to 35 for dogs and 50 for cats. Pet Vendor also includes transferors of other live animals as described in the rules promulgated by the Department of Agriculture, Markets, and Food. The bill has been referred to the Committee on Environment and Agriculture. See more on the history of the 2019 legislation in the October 2019 What’s Hot article available here .

      Recent Legislative Group Blog Posts:

      Legislation – What’s Hot………… Anticipating Future Legislation, January 2020

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