Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Minnesota House Bill HF2627 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1.1 A bill for an act
2	2	1.2 relating to commerce; prohibiting pet shops from selling cats and dogs; amending
3	3	1.3 Minnesota Statutes 2024, sections 325F.79; 325F.791, subdivisions 1, 5; 325F.792,
4	4	1.4 subdivision 2; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 325F.
5	5	1.5BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:
6	6	1.6 Section 1. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 325F.79, is amended to read:
7	7	1.7 325F.79 DEFINITIONS.
8	8	1.8 For purposes of sections 325F.79 to 325F.792, the following definitions apply:
9	9	1.9 (a) "Advertisement" means an oral, written, graphic, or pictorial statement made in the
10	10	1.10course of soliciting business. Advertisement includes without limitation a statement or
11	11	1.11representation:
12	12	1.12 (1) made in a newspaper, magazine, or other public publication;
13	13	1.13 (2) contained in a notice, sign, billboard, poster, display, circular, pamphlet, or letter;
14	14	1.14or
15	15	1.15 (3) made on radio, television, or the Internet.
16	16	1.16 (a) (b) "Animal" means a dog, wholly or in part of the species Canis familiaris, or a cat,
17	17	1.17wholly or in part of the species Felis domesticus.
18	18	1.18 (b) (c) "Pet dealer" means any person, firm, partnership, corporation, or association,
19	19	1.19including breeders, that is required to collect sales tax for the sale of animals to the public.
20	20	1.20Pet dealer does not include humane societies, nonprofit organizations performing the
21	21	1.21functions of humane societies, or animal control agencies.
22	22	1Section 1.
23	23	REVISOR RSI/VJ 25-0309402/18/25
24	24	State of Minnesota
25	25	This Document can be made available
26	26	in alternative formats upon request
27	27	HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
28	28	H. F. No. 2627
29	29	NINETY-FOURTH SESSION
30	30	Authored by Norris, Engen, Backer, Finke, Falconer and others03/20/2025
31	31	The bill was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on Commerce Finance and Policy 2.1 (c) (d) "Breeder" means any person, firm, partnership, corporation, or association that
32	32	2.2breeds animals for direct or indirect sale to the public.
33	33	2.3 (d) (e) "Broker" means a person, firm, partnership, corporation, or association that
34	34	2.4purchases animals for resale to other brokers or pet dealers.
35	35	2.5 (e) (f) "Health problem" means any disease, illness, or congenital or hereditary condition
36	36	2.6which would impair the health or function of the animal that is apparent at the time of sale,
37	37	2.7or which should have been apparent to the seller from the veterinary history of the animal.
38	38	2.8 (g) "Pet shop" means a pet dealer that operates a physical retail store from which animals
39	39	2.9are sold or offered for sale to the general public, whether through an appointment or
40	40	2.10otherwise.
41	41	2.11 (f) (h) "Veterinarian" means a licensed veterinarian in the state of Minnesota.
42	42	2.12 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective August 1, 2026, and applies to acts
43	43	2.13committed on or after that date.
44	44	2.14 Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 325F.791, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
45	45	2.15 Subdivision 1.Disclosure.(a) Every pet dealer shall deliver to each retail purchaser of
46	46	2.16an animal written disclosure as follows:
47	47	2.17 (a) (1) the name, address, and USDA license number of the breeder and any broker who
48	48	2.18has had possession of the animal; the date of the animal's birth; the date the pet dealer
49	49	2.19received the animal; the breed, sex, color, and identifying marks of the animal; the individual
50	50	2.20identifying tag, tattoo, or collar number; the name and registration number of the sire and
51	51	2.21dam and the litter number; and a record of inoculations, worming treatments, and medication
52	52	2.22received by the animal while in the possession of the pet dealer.;
53	53	2.23 (b) (2) a statement signed by the pet dealer that the animal has no known health problem,
54	54	2.24or a statement signed by the pet dealer disclosing any known health problem and a statement
55	55	2.25signed by a veterinarian that recommends necessary treatment.; and
56	56	2.26 (3) a copy of all publicly available state or federal inspection reports for the animal's
57	57	2.27breeder for all inspections that occurred during the three years preceding the date the animal
58	58	2.28was purchased.
59	59	2.29 (b) The disclosure shall be made part of the statement of consumer rights set forth in
60	60	2.30subdivision 10. The disclosure required in paragraph (a), clause (1), need not be made for
61	61	2.31mixed breed animals if the information is not available and cannot be determined by the
62	62	2.32pet dealer.
63	63	2Sec. 2.
64	64	REVISOR RSI/VJ 25-0309402/18/25 3.1 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective August 1, 2026, and applies to acts
65	65	3.2committed on or after that date.
66	66	3.3 Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 325F.791, subdivision 5, is amended to read:
67	67	3.4 Subd. 5.Responsibilities of purchaser.(a) To obtain the remedies provided in
68	68	3.5subdivision 6, the purchaser shall with respect to an animal with a health problem:
69	69	3.6 (a) (1) notify the pet dealer, within two business days, of the diagnosis by a veterinarian
70	70	3.7of the purchaser's choosing of a health problem and provide the pet dealer with the name
71	71	3.8and telephone number of the veterinarian and a copy of the veterinarian's report on the
72	72	3.9animal.; and
73	73	3.10 (b) (2) if the purchaser wishes to receive a full refund for the animal, return the animal
74	74	3.11no later than two business days after receipt of a written statement from a veterinarian
75	75	3.12indicating the animal is unfit due to a health problem.
76	76	3.13 (b) With respect to a dead animal the purchaser must provide the pet dealer a written
77	77	3.14statement from a veterinarian, indicating the animal died from a health problem which
78	78	3.15existed on or before the receipt of the animal by the purchaser.
79	79	3.16 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective August 1, 2026, and applies to acts
80	80	3.17committed on or after that date.
81	81	3.18 Sec. 4. [325F.7915] SALE OF DOGS AND CATS PROHIBITED.
82	82	3.19 (a) A pet shop must not sell, offer to sell, barter, auction, or otherwise transfer ownership
83	83	3.20of an animal.
84	84	3.21 (b) A pet shop may provide space to a nonprofit humane society, animal control agency,
85	85	3.22or animal rescue and rehoming organization to offer animals for adoption if the society,
86	86	3.23agency, or organization qualifies as a nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the
87	87	3.24Internal Revenue Code.
88	88	3.25 (c) A pet shop is prohibited from having an ownership interest in an animal offered for
89	89	3.26adoption under paragraph (b) or receiving a fee for providing space for animal adoption.
90	90	3.27 (d) Notwithstanding paragraph (a), a pet shop that sold or offered for sale an animal
91	91	3.28from the pet shop's physical premises for at least one year before the effective date of this
92	92	3.29section and under the same ownership that existed prior to the effective date of this section
93	93	3.30may continue to operate as a pet shop and engage in the sale or offer for sale of animals if:
94	94	3Sec. 4.
95	95	REVISOR RSI/VJ 25-0309402/18/25 4.1 (1) an animal sold or offered for sale by the pet shop on or after the effective date of this
96	96	4.2section is obtained only from a state-licensed or USDA-licensed breeder; and
97	97	4.3 (2) in an advertisement to sell or offer for sale a specific animal, including on the animal's
98	98	4.4display cage or enclosure, the pet shop discloses the breeder's state or USDA license number.
99	99	4.5 (e) Notwithstanding this section, a county, city, town, or township may enact and enforce
100	100	4.6by ordinance stricter regulations regarding the transfer of ownership of animals, including
101	101	4.7a prohibition on selling or offering for sale animals by a pet dealer or other entity.
102	102	4.8 (f) A pet shop that operates as a pet shop pursuant to paragraph (d) that violates this
103	103	4.9section on three separate occasions is prohibited from selling, offering to sell, bartering,
104	104	4.10auctioning, or otherwise transferring ownership of an animal.
105	105	4.11 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective August 1, 2026, and applies to acts
106	106	4.12committed on or after that date.
107	107	4.13 Sec. 5. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 325F.792, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
108	108	4.14 Subd. 2.Civil penalty.(a) A pet dealer who:
109	109	4.15 (1) sells an animal without delivery of the disclosure required in section 325F.791,
110	110	4.16subdivision 1;
111	111	4.17 (2) fails to maintain the records required by section 325F.791, subdivision 2;
112	112	4.18 (3) fails to provide registration papers as provided in section 325F.791, subdivision 3;
113	113	4.19 (4) fails to make or provide payment for the examinations required by section 325F.791,
114	114	4.20subdivision 4;
115	115	4.21 (5) fails to post the notice required by section 325F.791, subdivision 9; or
116	116	4.22 (6) fails to provide the statement of consumer rights required by section 325F.791,
117	117	4.23subdivision 10,
118	118	4.24is subject to a civil fine of up to $1,000 per violation.
119	119	4.25 (b) A pet shop that violates section 325F.7915 is subject to a civil fine of up to $1,000
120	120	4.26per violation. Each transfer of an animal's ownership in violation of section 325F.7915 is
121	121	4.27a separate violation.
122	122	4.28 (b) (c) Civil fines collected under this subdivision shall be collected by the court and
123	123	4.29turned over to the prosecuting attorney.
124	124	4Sec. 5.
125	125	REVISOR RSI/VJ 25-0309402/18/25 5.1 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective August 1, 2026, and applies to acts
126	126	5.2committed on or after that date.
127	127	5.3 Sec. 6. SEVERABILITY.
128	128	5.4 If a court of competent jurisdiction holds that any section is unconstitutional or otherwise
129	129	5.5invalid, the invalidity does not affect other sections that can be given effect without the
130	130	5.6invalid provisions or application, and to this end the sections are severable.
131	131	5.7 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective August 1, 2026, and applies to acts
132	132	5.8committed on or after that date.
133	133	5Sec. 6.
134	134	REVISOR RSI/VJ 25-0309402/18/25