New Colorado law bans sales of cats, dogs in pet stores in bid to crack down on puppy mills

Seth Klamann, The Denver Post on Apr 29, 2026

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DENVER — Following in the paw-steps of several other states and local governments, Gov. Jared Polis signed a new law Wednesday that will soon ban pet stores in Colorado from selling dogs or cats.

Once it goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2028, House Bill 1011 will only allow pet stores to host animals from adoption or rescue services, so long as the stores don’t charge fees and the animals are sterilized. It otherwise prohibits those stores from selling dogs and cats in an effort to curb commercial breeding and sales from “puppy mills.”

According to a legislative analysis, there are seven pet stores in the state licensed to sell the animals and five more that serve as brokers.

As Polis prepared to sign the bill, five 13-week-old, black-and-white puppies — Benedict, Daphne, Violet, Eloise and Hyacinth — lounged, climbed over one another, leaned into a reporter’s mic and cuddled in a pair of pens on the Capitol foyer’s floor. All of them were up for adoption from Humane Colorado. The governor also brought his dog, Gia, who hopped off of her chair and wandered under the bill-signing table to investigate the newcomers.

“We’re sending a very powerful message with this bill — first of all, adopt, don’t shop. Little Gia is here, we adopted her 16 years ago,” said Polis, who had scooped up the little brown dog. His husband, animal rights advocate Marlon Reis, stood beaming nearby. “If you do want to purchase, and some people want pure bred or a specific breed, there are many wonderful home breeders, legitimate breeders in our state, people who have a litter of dogs in their home and sell them.”

The law would not apply to the sale of specially trained animals — like those used by law enforcement, hunters or people with disabilities.

The bill took eight years to pass, according to Polis and the bill’s primary sponsor, House Majority Leader Monica Duran. Duran officially named the bill after her late Pomeranian, Pistol. Polis said that 26 jurisdictions in Colorado have banned puppy mill sales in retail stores. Several other states, including Maryland and California, have adopted similar bans.

HB 1011 was also sponsored by Democrats Rep. Karen McCormick and Sens. Robert Rodriguez and Dylan Roberts. The measure passed the Senate earlier this month on a 19-16 vote, with all Republicans and some Democrats opposed. It previously cleared the House 44-21, with only one Republican — Rep. Rick Taggart — voting in support.

“Today, this bill has lived in my heart for eight years,” an emotional Duran said. “Eight years of conversations, eight years of setbacks, eight years of being not yet, not now, and maybe never. But here we are. And today, I don’t stand alone. I stand here with every voice that refused to give up on the animals who could not speak for themselves.”

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