Can you take your dog into a grocery store? Here’s what California law says
In California, some dog owners take their dogs with them almost anywhere. However, there are some state laws that prohibit taking pets into various places, like the grocery store.
Here’s what California law says about dogs in public places and the exceptions for service animals:
What does the law say?
California law states you cannot take your pet into a food facility, including stores that prepare, package, serve, vend, or otherwise provide foods for human consumption — with few exceptions.
Live animals can be allowed in a food facility under any of the following conditions, according to California Health and Safety Code 114259.5, as long as food contamination isn’t a risk:
- Edible or decorative fish in aquariums or under refrigeration
- Animals planned for eating if kept separate in sanitary conditions away from all food and utensil handling areas
- Dogs under the control of a uniformed law enforcement officer
- Areas not used for food preparation and that are usually open for consumers, including dining and sales areas
- Pets in the common dining areas of restricted food service facilities at times other than during meals
- In areas that are not used for food preparation, storage, sales, display or dining
- If kept at least 20 feet away from any mobile food facility, temporary food facility or certified farmers’ market
What are the exceptions?
By federal law, all service animals must be allowed into any facility.
If you go to the grocery store, you might see a sign stating that only service animals are allowed. Other dogs are not allowed, because a grocery store packages and vends food for human consumption.
When visiting a restaurant or cafe in Sacramento with your pet, you might be told that only service animals are allowed. Individuals with dogs that are not service animals might be asked to sit in the patio dining area.
In a story published on the Starbucks website in 2014, a spokesperson for the company at the time said, “Starbucks always welcomes service animals to our stores, and we want every customer who spends time in our stores to enjoy their visit.”
California law does not explicitly state whether or not dogs are able to enter department stores. If you try to take your dog to a department store to buy a pair of shoes, you might be told that your dog is not allowed inside as businesses are allowed to make and enforce their own pet policies.
What is considered a service animal?
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 defines a service animal as “any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability.”
Animals that fit the ADA’s definition of “service animal” include:
- Guide dog or Seeing Eye dog
- Hearing or signal dog
- Psychiatric service dog
- A sensory signal dog or social signal dog
- Seizure response dog
An emotional support animal is not a service animal, according to Title II of the ADA. The tasks performed by a service animal must be directly related to an individual’s disability.
To determine if a dog is a service animal, the ADA states you can ask these questions:
- Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
- What work or task has the dog been trained to perform?
The ADA states you cannot ask these questions:
- About an individual’s disability
- Require proof that the animal is a certified service animal
- Require the animal’s identifying vest or tag
- Ask that the dog show its abilities
This story was originally published August 28, 2023 at 5:30 AM.
