West Hollywood, California just voted to ban the sale of live animals.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the West Hollywood City Council passed an ordinance in mid-September prohibiting the sale of rabbits, amphibians, arachnids, birds, fish, reptiles, and hermit crabs. Cats and dogs were already banned from being sold in West Hollywood due to a 2010 ordinance.
The ban begins May 1, 2026, and will impact pet stores across the city. Animal shelters, animal control facilities, humane societies, and animal rescue organizations will still be able to sell animals.
Many animal advocacy groups are celebrating the ordinance as a win, and they hope the move will slow the smuggling of animals into the U.S. “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,” wrote The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Los Angeles in a letter to the city last year. Other groups say the move could undermine reputable retailers and increase black market animal sales and trafficking.
West Hollywood is just the second city in California to enact a ban on the sale of live animals, joining Del Mar in San Diego County.