The City Council of Albany, California, a suburb of Oakland in the San Francisco Bay area, has proposed a live animal sales ban. This is a result of campaigning by animal rights groups such as PETA, World Animal Protection, and Direct Action Everywhere, which are lobbying the City Council to pass a “ban on the retail sale of animals such as mammals, amphibians, arthropods, gastropods, birds, fishes, and reptiles in pet stores.” It should be noted that the state of California already bans possession and sale of ferrets, and bans the retail sales of dogs, cats, and rabbits. Thus, the ban is specifically targeted at reptiles, amphibians, fishes, and invertebrates. The live animal sales ban is on the agenda for the next Albany City Council meeting as Item 11-1 under New Business with the intent to “direct staff to develop an ordinance for City Council consideration to prohibit the retail sale of live animals in Albany.”
Meeting: Monday, May 04, 2026, 7:00 PM Pacific Time, City Hall Council Chambers, 1000 San Pablo Ave., Albany, CA or on Zoom at https://albanyca.zoom.us/webinar/register/87852424530.
Read the City Council Agenda at https://usaqua.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/26-Albany-CA-Council-Agenda.pdf
An email list is below, or you can submit comments to citycouncil@albanyca.gov.
Council member phone numbers can be found at https://www.albanyca.gov/Government/City-Council.
Sample Letter (Please be civil and professional!)
Email List: pmcquaid@albanyca.gov, jhansen-romero@albanyca.gov, pjordan@albanyca.gov, rlopez@albanyca.gov, jmiki@albanyca.gov
Subject line: NO to animal sales ban
Dear Albany City Council Members
I am an Albany resident who opposes the ban on sales of live animals such as aquarium fish and aquatic invertebrates. Aquarium retailers and pet shops are regulated and highly visible to the public. Banning retail sales of live animals will force consumers to obtain their fish and other pets from unregulated and less transparent sources. It will also severely limit the choice of fish and other pets, and people may end up with an animal not ideally suited for their situation. This can lead to reduced animal welfare and sustainability. Please oppose the ban on sales of fish and other pets in Albany.
