New Colorado law will add transparency measures for pet stores

19 Feb New Colorado law will add transparency measures for pet stores

Updated April 22, 2021

A new Colorado law will add transparency around the pricing and background of animals sold in pet stores that sell dogs or cats. HB21-1102, Consumer Protection for Dog and Cat Purchasers, is headed to Governor Polis’ desk to be signed into law.

The bill creates the “Pet Store Consumer Protection Act,” which requires pet stores that sell dogs and cats to transparently share specific information about dogs and cats that are for sale. The bill was introduced in the House of Representatives on February 16.

When the bill was originally introduced in the House of Representatives, it included a ban on licenses for new pet stores looking to sell dogs and cats. The bill was since revised to only include a pet sale transparency component after facing steep opposition and concerns about its impact on small businesses.

The bill requires each pet store licensed to sell or offer to sell dogs or cats that continues to sell or offer to sell dogs or cats to:

• Include on all advertisements, including website postings, the purchase price of the dog or cat and any applicable federal or state license numbers for the breeder of the dog or cat;
• Post on the enclosure of each dog or cat the purchase price of the dog or cat and certain information on the dog’s or cat’s breeder; and
• Make certain written disclosures to a prospective consumer prior to selling a dog or cat.

The bill’s sponsors include Representative Monica Duran, Representative Matt Soper, and Senator Sonya Jaquez Lewis. A previous version of this bill (HB20-1084 Requirements for Dog and Cat Breeders and Sellers) was introduced in the legislature in 2020 prior to the COVID-19 recess.

CVMA tracked this bill and took a position of “monitor” on the legislation.