If you buy, sell, or negotiate the sale of dogs commercially in the United States, you need a federal dog broker license from USDA-APHIS under the Animal Welfare Act. Brokers are classified as Class B dealers, and no one may sell, transport, or offer to transport dogs in commerce without one.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 7 USC Chapter 54 – Transportation, Sale, and Handling of Certain Animals The three-year license costs $120, but getting it requires documented facilities, a written veterinary care program, and a passing pre-license inspection.
Who Needs One
Federal law defines a “dealer” as any person who, for profit, buys, sells, or negotiates the purchase or sale of dogs in commerce — whether the dogs are destined for research, exhibition, pets, hunting, security, or breeding.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 7 USC 2132 – Definitions USDA splits dealers into two classes. Class A dealers breed and sell their own animals. Class B dealers buy from others and resell. Brokers are Class B. The license applies even if you never physically possess the dog, so long as you negotiate or facilitate the sale.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 7 USC Chapter 54 – Transportation, Sale, and Handling of Certain Animals
Running a dog auction triggers the same requirement, charity sale or not, and consignors to such auctions generally need their own licenses as well.3U.S. Department of Agriculture. Licensing and Registration Under the Animal Welfare Act
The Retail Pet Store Boundary
Not every seller is a dealer. If you maintain four or fewer breeding female dogs and sell only offspring born and raised on your own premises, you qualify as a retail pet store and are exempt. Face-to-face sales where the buyer personally observes the animal before purchase also fall under this exemption.4Federal Register. Animal Welfare; Retail Pet Stores and Licensing Exemptions
Here’s where many online sellers get caught. The retail exemption disappears when sales are made “sight-unseen” over the internet, by phone, or by mail. If the buyer never personally observes the animal at your location before buying, the sale is not a retail pet store sale, and if you make such sales regularly, you are a dealer who needs a license (unless you still fit the four-or-fewer breeding females rule).4Federal Register. Animal Welfare; Retail Pet Stores and Licensing Exemptions
Retail pet stores that sell directly to the public are not dealers only so long as they never supply research facilities, exhibitors, or other dealers. Supply any of those, and the exemption goes away.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 7 USC Chapter 54 – Transportation, Sale, and Handling of Certain Animals
Who Can’t Get a License
USDA will deny an application outright in a few situations. A violation of federal, state, or local animal cruelty laws within the past three years is disqualifying, and USDA can extend that bar beyond three years when circumstances warrant. False statements on the application or fraudulent records provided to any government agency will also sink it.5USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Animal Welfare Act and Animal Welfare Regulations
The bar reaches people connected to prior revocations too. If you were an officer, agent, or employee of a licensee whose license was suspended or revoked, and you took part in the conduct that led to that action, you cannot get your own license while the order remains in effect. Full revocation is essentially permanent: a person whose license has been revoked may not be licensed in any capacity, including through a new business entity in which they hold a substantial interest.5USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Animal Welfare Act and Animal Welfare Regulations
What to Have Ready Before Applying
Pull your business paperwork together first. You will need a federal Employer Identification Number, articles of incorporation or organization if you operate as a business entity, and valid government-issued ID for every owner, partner, and officer.6U.S. Department of Agriculture. License Application – With Dogs, Cats, and Other Animals
Your facility has to be ready as well. If you house dogs even temporarily, enclosures must meet the standards in 9 CFR Part 3, including minimum floor space calculated from each dog’s body length, interior height at least six inches above the tallest dog standing normally, adequate ventilation, temperature control, sanitary flooring, and potable water access.7USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Minimum Space Requirements for Dogs
You also need a written program of veterinary care in place before the license is issued. A licensed attending veterinarian creates or approves a plan covering routine care, vaccinations, parasite control, and emergency treatment. USDA Form 7002 is designed for this, though the veterinarian may use their own written plan.8Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. The Written Program of Veterinary Care
How to Apply
Applications go to USDA-APHIS Animal Care, either online or by mail. As of August 2023, online applications require payment at submission, by credit or debit card or electronic funds transfer.9Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Apply for an Animal Welfare License or Registration A three-year license for any dealer class is $120.3U.S. Department of Agriculture. Licensing and Registration Under the Animal Welfare Act The fee is set based on the type and nature of the operation.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 7 USC 2153 – Fees
Expect to hear from an Animal Care representative within about 15 business days of submitting. The whole licensing process must be completed within 60 days of your first pre-license inspection.6U.S. Department of Agriculture. License Application – With Dogs, Cats, and Other Animals
The Pre-License Inspection
No license is issued until a USDA inspector visits and confirms the facility meets federal standards.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 7 USC Chapter 54 – Transportation, Sale, and Handling of Certain Animals You get three attempts within the 60-day window. Each failed inspection comes with a report of problems and how to correct them. Fail all three and you can appeal; if the appeal is denied, you have to wait six months before reapplying.11Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Preparing for a Prelicense Inspection at Your Facility
What the License Obligates You To
Records on Every Dog
Every dog that passes through your operation has to be documented. APHIS Form 7005 records each acquisition — the seller’s name and address, their USDA license or registration number (or driver’s license and vehicle plate number), and the dog’s identification such as tattoo or USDA tag number. Sales, transfers, and donations get recorded the same way, and the records must be available to federal officials on request.12Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. APHIS Form 7005 – Record of Acquisition of Dogs and Cats on Hand
Unannounced Inspections
During business hours, you must let APHIS officials into your facilities, let them examine and copy records, and let them inspect and photograph animals and property. You also have to provide a room or table for records review and a responsible adult to accompany the inspector.13eCFR. 9 CFR 2.126 – Access and Inspection of Records and Property The Secretary of Agriculture has statutory authority to inspect at all reasonable times.14Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 7 USC 2146 – Administration Blocking an inspector is one of the fastest ways to lose the license.
Transport Standards
If you move dogs or arrange their transport, enclosures must be large enough for each dog to turn around normally while standing, sit and stand upright, and lie down in a natural position, and they cannot be stacked in any arrangement that creates a risk of falling.15eCFR. Specifications for the Humane Handling, Care, Treatment, and Transportation of Dogs and Cats Food and water schedules during transit are fixed by regulation, and every dog must be fed and watered within four hours before transport begins.16eCFR. 9 CFR 3.17 – Food and Water Requirements
Exercise and Human Contact
Dogs over 12 weeks old housed individually in enclosures smaller than twice the minimum floor space need regular exercise opportunities, with frequency and method set by the attending veterinarian. Dogs housed without sensory contact with other dogs must get positive physical contact with humans at least once a day. The exercise plan has to be in writing, approved by the attending veterinarian, and available to APHIS on request.17eCFR. 9 CFR 3.8 – Exercise for Dogs
Annual Renewal
The license must be renewed before it expires. APHIS Form 7003 is both the renewal application and your annual report. You report the total number of animals bought and sold during the preceding business year, your gross dollar amount from regulated activities, and the net amount on which the renewal fee is based. All business locations where animals are housed get listed, along with any updates to ownership and contact information.18USDA APHIS. APHIS Form 7003 – Application for License Renewal and Annual Report
Penalties
Operating without a license, or violating any part of the Animal Welfare Act or its regulations while licensed, can bring a civil penalty up to $14,575 per violation at the current inflation-adjusted rate.19Federal Register. Civil Monetary Penalty Inflation Adjustments for 2025 Each violation and each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense, so the numbers add up fast. The Secretary can also issue cease-and-desist orders, with a separate penalty for knowingly ignoring one.20Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 7 USC 2149 – Violations by Licensees
A license can be terminated for any reason that would justify denying it in the first place.21eCFR. 9 CFR 2.12 – Termination of a License Revocation is effectively permanent.
State and Interstate Rules
The USDA license is a floor, not a ceiling. Most states run their own licensing or permit programs for commercial dog dealers and brokers through their departments of agriculture, with their own fees, inspections, and standards. Some require a separate commercial kennel license or registration with the state veterinarian’s office.
When dogs cross state lines, the receiving state’s rules control. Many states require a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection issued within a set number of days before transport, and some require advance notification to the state animal health official. USDA does not regulate interstate pet movement directly; those rules come from each destination state.22Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. Take a Pet From One U.S. State or Territory to Another Check with the destination state’s animal health office before shipping — multi-state compliance problems usually start there.