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Ordinances Protecting Rabbits
Jun 11, 2013
House Rabbit
Society Activist Corner
Following are the laws that we know
of in North America that deal with and protect pet rabbits:
State Laws
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North Carolina, Indiana,
Virginia, Florida, and Vermont ban the sale of unweaned rabbits, or rabbits
under 2 months of age.
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Colorado bans the sale of
rabbits under the age of 4 weeks.
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New Jersey, California,
Kentucky, South Carolina, Maine, Maryland, Montana, and Pennsylvania ban the
dying of rabbits and other animals and the sale or giveaway of rabbits
under 2 months of age.
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North Dakota, DC, Illinois,
Arkansas, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Tennessee, Washington, Massachusetts,
Michigan, Minnesota, Louisiana, and Ohio prohibit the sale of dyed rabbits
and other animals.
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DC bans the sale of pet rabbits
under the age of 16 weeks.
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Pennsylvania bans the sale of
rabbits and other animals in public places.
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Vermont and California prohibit
the sale of rabbits and other animals on the side of the road.
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Alabama, Arkansas, California,
Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,
North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South
Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin all have laws
prohibiting the give away of rabbits and other animals as prizes in
carnivals or other events (although sometimes those laws only specify the
giveaway of very young animals).
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California is considering
banning the sale of rabbits (and other animals) at flea markets and swap
meets in 2013.
City and County Laws
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Aurora, CO has a mandatory
spay/neuter ordinance that includes rabbits. They also have a pet limit law
of two rabbits. Pet owners can get an exception to these laws by purchasing
a breeder or kennel license.
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San Francisco, CA
prohibits the sale of pet rabbits in the city and county.
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Los Angeles, CA prohibits the
sale of pet rabbits and other animals in the city’s pet stores.
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The county of Bernalillo, NM
prohibits the sale of rabbits as companion animals (i.e. pet stores cannot
sell rabbits in the county). Sale of all rabbits is banned during the months
of March and April (this eliminates impulse sales for Easter). This does
not apply to the city of Albuquerque, which bans cat and dog sales but
allows rabbit sales.
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Richmond, BC prohibits the sale
of pet rabbits in the city.
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Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin,
and Houston, TX all ban the sale of rabbits and other animals in public
places.
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In Louisiana, St. Tammany
Parish, the Archdiocese of New Orleans, and the city of Slidell all forbid
giving away rabbits and other animals as prizes.
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Any Arizona county with a
population of 800,000 or more prohibits the sale of rabbits or any other
animals on or near any public highway, street or park.
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San Diego, CA is considering
banning the sale of rabbits (as well as cats and dogs) from pet stores in
2013.
June 20, 2018
New Pet Ordinance Passed By Las Vegas City Council
In an effort
to reduce the prominence of puppy mill animals and lower the number of unwanted
animals due to overbreeding, a new ordinance has been approved by the City
Council.
Spay & Neuter Requirements
- The new ordinance
requires the spaying
and neutering of ferrets, rabbits, and
potbellied pigs over the age of four months; this is already required for dogs
and cats.
https://medium.com/@CityOfLasVegas/new-pet-ordinance-passed-by-city-council-b5238903528f
April 18,
2019
California Bans Impulse Easter Bunny Purchases to Protect Numerous Rabbits
Abandoned Each Year
In an effort to prevent these reckless
animal purchases, and to crack down on puppy & kitten mills, California banned
the sale of commercially bred cats, dogs, and rabbits from pet stores. Any cat, dog
or rabbit available at a CA pet store now has to come from an animal shelter or
rescue. The ban
was signed in 2017, but didn’t come into effect
until
January
1, 2019
so stores could prepare. (Source: PEOPLE)
The Rabbit Advocacy Group has presented to
various councils on this very matter many times over the years. There is a high
cost to society, both morally and financially, when companion animals are
abandoned to the outdoors or elsewhere. Rabbit breeders lobbied municipalities
to prevent changes to bylaws that would stop rabbit sales in retail outlets.
Unfortunately, this small minority had some success in BC areas until
politicians woke up to the realities of impulse buys and the dumping that
followed. Regulations aren’t uniform across BC and until there is a massive
shift in consciousness nothing will really change. Visit our
News/PSAs page for more.
Read more:
ALDF Companion animals are irreplaceable members of the family
BC pet stores receive
complaints; Doggie World, Puppy Paradise under fire, new BC Bill M214 hits
roadblock, reintroduced 2016
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