Licensing for breeders
Whether you need a license depends on how many breeding animals you keep, how you sell, and where you live. Most small breeders don't need one. Here's where to start; following the law is up to you.
A federal license from the USDA
Under the Animal Welfare Act, you need a USDA license when both of these are true:
- You keep more than four breeding females. Dogs, cats and some small mammals count together.
- You sell a pet sight unseen, so the family doesn't see it in person before it's theirs (shipping it, say), or you sell to a pet store, broker or other reseller.
You don't need one if you keep four or fewer breeding females and sell only pets you bred and raised, or if every sale is face to face: you, the family and the pet are together before it goes home.
A breeder's license is Class A; a dealer who resells animals holds a Class B. The USDA's Animal Care Public Search Tool lists every license holder, with their inspection reports.
State and local laws
Many states license breeders and kennels too, usually once you keep more than a set number of breeding females, or have more litters or sales a year than the law allows without one. The state's department of agriculture usually runs it. Some cities and counties require a kennel permit, or limit how many animals you keep.
Many states also set a minimum age for selling a puppy or kitten, often 8 weeks, and some require a health certificate from a vet.
The rules differ a lot from state to state, and they change. Michigan State University's Animal Legal & Historical Center keeps a table of each state's breeder laws with the statutes they come from. Your state department of agriculture can tell you what applies to you, and your city or county about permits.
On Furizzma
- You don't need a license to list on Furizzma, unless the law requires you to hold one.
- If you hold a USDA or state license, tick it on your profile and enter the number, just as it's printed on the license. Families see the number and can look it up.
- We look it up too. Once we've found it, your page says USDA licensed or State licensed, and families filtering for licensed breeders find you. If we can't, the number comes off your page until you enter it again.
- Don't tick a license you don't hold now, or give someone else's number.
Every listing follows our community standards.
For families
A license means a breeder is registered and can be inspected. It isn't a promise of how the animals are raised: ask to visit, meet the parents and see where the pets live. Our safety tips say what else to ask.
This page is general information, not legal advice. Laws change, and the agencies that enforce them have the final word.