Pets: sales of dogs, cats, and rabbits.

Header changed from Assembly Bill passage format to 'STATE OF CALIFORNIA AUTHENTICATED ELECTRONIC LEGAL MATERIAL' with Chapter 477 designation and Governor approval date of October 9, 2025.

Page numbers changed from 93 to 92 and page headers changed from 'AB 506' to 'Ch. 477' throughout the document.

Line wrapping and indentation of the legislative counsel's digest and statutory text were reformatted, but no words or provisions were added, removed, or altered.

The bill text was reformatted from an official chaptered document layout to a web page rendering, adding site navigation (home, FAQ, search, login), a version history dropdown listing all prior versions, and minor typographic changes. No legal language was altered.

Section 122226: removed the redundant word 'buyer' so the notice requirement now reads 'to the purchaser or recipient' instead of 'to the buyer purchaser or recipient.' This is an editorial cleanup with no practical effect on who must receive the disclosure.

Enrollment formatting changes: amendment history and author names removed, passage dates added (Assembly Sept 9, Senate Sept 8), Governor's signature block added, line numbers stripped, and page headers reformatted. No policy substance changed.

The entire Civil Code Section 1670.13 was deleted. This section had created a separate set of rules specifically targeting 'brokers' (defined as persons or businesses that sell, arrange, negotiate, process, or facilitate the transfer of dogs or cats bred by another for profit). All protections are now consolidated into the Health and Safety Code article.

The Assembly version had two overlapping regimes: a Civil Code section covering only dogs and cats sold by 'brokers,' and a Health and Safety Code section covering dogs, cats, and rabbits sold by any 'person or business.' The Senate version eliminates the duplication and applies a single set of rules to all sales of dogs, cats, and rabbits by any person or business.

The void-contract provision was simplified. The Assembly Civil Code version made a contract void if it either required a nonrefundable deposit OR failed to identify the original source of the animal. The Senate version makes a contract void only if it includes or requires a nonrefundable deposit, with source disclosure handled separately as a mandatory notice requirement under Section 122226.

Available remedies were broadened. The Assembly version authorized courts to enjoin violators. The Senate version allows suits for recovery of money exchanged, injunctive relief, and other remedies the court deems appropriate.

District attorneys were added to the list of public officials authorized to enforce the provisions on behalf of buyers. The Assembly version listed only the Attorney General, county counsel, city attorney, or city prosecutor.

The specific 'broker' definition (a person or business that sells, arranges, negotiates, processes, or facilitates the transfer of dogs or cats bred by another for profit) was removed. The bill now uses the broader term 'person or business' which includes breeders and third-party sellers.

Pet dealers are now explicitly included in the bill's regulatory scope. Every reference to 'person or business' is changed to 'person, pet dealer, or business,' and a new definition of 'pet dealer' (same meaning as Section 122125) is added. This closes a potential gap where pet dealers might have argued they were not covered.

The exemption in Section 122229 is broadened from contracts 'by a governmental agency' to contracts 'to or by a governmental agency,' meaning the bill no longer applies when a government agency is either the seller or the buyer of an animal.

A new definition of 'purchaser' is added, incorporating the existing definition from Section 122125. The term 'buyer' is replaced with 'purchaser' throughout the operative sections (122227 and 122228) to align terminology with the broader pet sale regulatory framework.

Section 122226(c) now cross-references paragraph (6) of subdivision (a) of Section 122050 for the veterinary health statement requirement, tying the new disclosure obligation to an existing statutory standard rather than restating it independently.

A new Section 122231 is added as a savings clause stating that nothing in the new article shall be construed as amending the requirements of Articles 1, 2, 3, or 4 of the same chapter, clarifying that existing pet sale regulations remain unchanged.

A new Article 2.5 (Sections 122225-122230) was added to the Health and Safety Code, creating a parallel regulatory framework alongside the existing Civil Code section. The original Civil Code Section 1670.13 is retained but now appears as a second section.

Rabbits are now included alongside dogs and cats in the new Health and Safety Code provisions, expanding the types of animals covered by the disclosure and contract requirements.

A new exemption was added (Section 122230) specifying that the new Health and Safety Code article does not apply to public animal control agencies or shelters.

The regulated parties were broadened from 'brokers' (defined as those who arrange or facilitate sales of animals bred by another) to any 'person or business' that sells a dog, cat, or rabbit, which includes breeders and third-party sellers directly.

Section 122226 requires sellers to provide written notice at the time of sale including: the original source (breeder, USDA license number if applicable, state of birth), a record of inoculations and worming treatments with dates, and either a signed statement that the animal has no known disease or illness or congenital condition, or a record of any such conditions.

Enforcement remedies were significantly expanded. The new Section 122228 allows courts to order recovery of money exchanged pursuant to a void contract, injunctive relief, and other remedies the court deems appropriate, rather than only allowing injunctions as in the original version.

New definitions were added for 'buyer' (an individual who purchases while located in California), 'person or business' (includes a breeder or third-party seller), and 'public animal control agency or shelter' (cross-referencing Section 122354.5).

Subdivision (g) was expanded so that enforcement is no longer limited to the Attorney General alone. County counsel, city attorneys, and city prosecutors can now also enforce the section on behalf of pet purchasers. The amendment adds a requirement that such claims be brought in the name of the people of the State of California in any court of competent jurisdiction, and replaces references to 'the Attorney General' with 'the public prosecutor' when describing the non-exclusivity of the remedy.

Subdivision (h) was reworded from 'Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit' to 'This section shall not be construed to limit,' which is a stylistic change with no substantive effect on the exemption for governmental agency transfers and service dog transfers.

Assembly Member Haney and Senator Cervantes were added as coauthors of the bill.