Minnesota 2025-2026 Regular Session

Minnesota Senate Bill SF1943 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	25-03094 as introduced02/18/25 REVISOR RSI/VJ
24	24	SENATE
25	25	STATE OF MINNESOTA
26	26	S.F. No. 1943NINETY-FOURTH SESSION
27	27	(SENATE AUTHORS: DIBBLE and Abeler)
28	28	OFFICIAL STATUSD-PGDATE
29	29	Introduction and first reading02/27/2025
30	30	Referred to Commerce and Consumer Protection 2.1 (c) (d) "Breeder" means any person, firm, partnership, corporation, or association that
31	31	2.2breeds animals for direct or indirect sale to the public.
32	32	2.3 (d) (e) "Broker" means a person, firm, partnership, corporation, or association that
33	33	2.4purchases animals for resale to other brokers or pet dealers.
34	34	2.5 (e) (f) "Health problem" means any disease, illness, or congenital or hereditary condition
35	35	2.6which would impair the health or function of the animal that is apparent at the time of sale,
36	36	2.7or which should have been apparent to the seller from the veterinary history of the animal.
37	37	2.8 (g) "Pet shop" means a pet dealer that operates a physical retail store from which animals
38	38	2.9are sold or offered for sale to the general public, whether through an appointment or
39	39	2.10otherwise.
40	40	2.11 (f) (h) "Veterinarian" means a licensed veterinarian in the state of Minnesota.
41	41	2.12 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective August 1, 2026, and applies to acts
42	42	2.13committed on or after that date.
43	43	2.14 Sec. 2. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 325F.791, subdivision 1, is amended to read:
44	44	2.15 Subdivision 1.Disclosure.(a) Every pet dealer shall deliver to each retail purchaser of
45	45	2.16an animal written disclosure as follows:
46	46	2.17 (a) (1) the name, address, and USDA license number of the breeder and any broker who
47	47	2.18has had possession of the animal; the date of the animal's birth; the date the pet dealer
48	48	2.19received the animal; the breed, sex, color, and identifying marks of the animal; the individual
49	49	2.20identifying tag, tattoo, or collar number; the name and registration number of the sire and
50	50	2.21dam and the litter number; and a record of inoculations, worming treatments, and medication
51	51	2.22received by the animal while in the possession of the pet dealer.;
52	52	2.23 (b) (2) a statement signed by the pet dealer that the animal has no known health problem,
53	53	2.24or a statement signed by the pet dealer disclosing any known health problem and a statement
54	54	2.25signed by a veterinarian that recommends necessary treatment.; and
55	55	2.26 (3) a copy of all publicly available state or federal inspection reports for the animal's
56	56	2.27breeder for all inspections that occurred during the three years preceding the date the animal
57	57	2.28was purchased.
58	58	2.29 (b) The disclosure shall be made part of the statement of consumer rights set forth in
59	59	2.30subdivision 10. The disclosure required in paragraph (a), clause (1), need not be made for
60	60	2.31mixed breed animals if the information is not available and cannot be determined by the
61	61	2.32pet dealer.
62	62	2Sec. 2.
63	63	25-03094 as introduced02/18/25 REVISOR RSI/VJ 3.1 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective August 1, 2026, and applies to acts
64	64	3.2committed on or after that date.
65	65	3.3 Sec. 3. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 325F.791, subdivision 5, is amended to read:
66	66	3.4 Subd. 5.Responsibilities of purchaser.(a) To obtain the remedies provided in
67	67	3.5subdivision 6, the purchaser shall with respect to an animal with a health problem:
68	68	3.6 (a) (1) notify the pet dealer, within two business days, of the diagnosis by a veterinarian
69	69	3.7of the purchaser's choosing of a health problem and provide the pet dealer with the name
70	70	3.8and telephone number of the veterinarian and a copy of the veterinarian's report on the
71	71	3.9animal.; and
72	72	3.10 (b) (2) if the purchaser wishes to receive a full refund for the animal, return the animal
73	73	3.11no later than two business days after receipt of a written statement from a veterinarian
74	74	3.12indicating the animal is unfit due to a health problem.
75	75	3.13 (b) With respect to a dead animal the purchaser must provide the pet dealer a written
76	76	3.14statement from a veterinarian, indicating the animal died from a health problem which
77	77	3.15existed on or before the receipt of the animal by the purchaser.
78	78	3.16 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective August 1, 2026, and applies to acts
79	79	3.17committed on or after that date.
80	80	3.18 Sec. 4. [325F.7915] SALE OF DOGS AND CATS PROHIBITED.
81	81	3.19 (a) A pet shop must not sell, offer to sell, barter, auction, or otherwise transfer ownership
82	82	3.20of an animal.
83	83	3.21 (b) A pet shop may provide space to a nonprofit humane society, animal control agency,
84	84	3.22or animal rescue and rehoming organization to offer animals for adoption if the society,
85	85	3.23agency, or organization qualifies as a nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the
86	86	3.24Internal Revenue Code.
87	87	3.25 (c) A pet shop is prohibited from having an ownership interest in an animal offered for
88	88	3.26adoption under paragraph (b) or receiving a fee for providing space for animal adoption.
89	89	3.27 (d) Notwithstanding paragraph (a), a pet shop that sold or offered for sale an animal
90	90	3.28from the pet shop's physical premises for at least one year before the effective date of this
91	91	3.29section and under the same ownership that existed prior to the effective date of this section
92	92	3.30may continue to operate as a pet shop and engage in the sale or offer for sale of animals if:
93	93	3Sec. 4.
94	94	25-03094 as introduced02/18/25 REVISOR RSI/VJ 4.1 (1) an animal sold or offered for sale by the pet shop on or after the effective date of this
95	95	4.2section is obtained only from a state-licensed or USDA-licensed breeder; and
96	96	4.3 (2) in an advertisement to sell or offer for sale a specific animal, including on the animal's
97	97	4.4display cage or enclosure, the pet shop discloses the breeder's state or USDA license number.
98	98	4.5 (e) Notwithstanding this section, a county, city, town, or township may enact and enforce
99	99	4.6by ordinance stricter regulations regarding the transfer of ownership of animals, including
100	100	4.7a prohibition on selling or offering for sale animals by a pet dealer or other entity.
101	101	4.8 (f) A pet shop that operates as a pet shop pursuant to paragraph (d) that violates this
102	102	4.9section on three separate occasions is prohibited from selling, offering to sell, bartering,
103	103	4.10auctioning, or otherwise transferring ownership of an animal.
104	104	4.11 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective August 1, 2026, and applies to acts
105	105	4.12committed on or after that date.
106	106	4.13 Sec. 5. Minnesota Statutes 2024, section 325F.792, subdivision 2, is amended to read:
107	107	4.14 Subd. 2.Civil penalty.(a) A pet dealer who:
108	108	4.15 (1) sells an animal without delivery of the disclosure required in section 325F.791,
109	109	4.16subdivision 1;
110	110	4.17 (2) fails to maintain the records required by section 325F.791, subdivision 2;
111	111	4.18 (3) fails to provide registration papers as provided in section 325F.791, subdivision 3;
112	112	4.19 (4) fails to make or provide payment for the examinations required by section 325F.791,
113	113	4.20subdivision 4;
114	114	4.21 (5) fails to post the notice required by section 325F.791, subdivision 9; or
115	115	4.22 (6) fails to provide the statement of consumer rights required by section 325F.791,
116	116	4.23subdivision 10,
117	117	4.24is subject to a civil fine of up to $1,000 per violation.
118	118	4.25 (b) A pet shop that violates section 325F.7915 is subject to a civil fine of up to $1,000
119	119	4.26per violation. Each transfer of an animal's ownership in violation of section 325F.7915 is
120	120	4.27a separate violation.
121	121	4.28 (b) (c) Civil fines collected under this subdivision shall be collected by the court and
122	122	4.29turned over to the prosecuting attorney.
123	123	4Sec. 5.
124	124	25-03094 as introduced02/18/25 REVISOR RSI/VJ 5.1 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective August 1, 2026, and applies to acts
125	125	5.2committed on or after that date.
126	126	5.3 Sec. 6. SEVERABILITY.
127	127	5.4 If a court of competent jurisdiction holds that any section is unconstitutional or otherwise
128	128	5.5invalid, the invalidity does not affect other sections that can be given effect without the
129	129	5.6invalid provisions or application, and to this end the sections are severable.
130	130	5.7 EFFECTIVE DATE.This section is effective August 1, 2026, and applies to acts
131	131	5.8committed on or after that date.
132	132	5Sec. 6.
133	133	25-03094 as introduced02/18/25 REVISOR RSI/VJ