NYC Council Introduction 1471

intro.nyc/1471-2025 2024-2025 Legislative Session
Cats in retail food stores.
Status: Committee Committee on Health
Sponsored by Keith Powers
Introduced: November 12, 2025

This bill would override the provisions of the New York City Health Code that prohibit owners of retail food stores from keeping a cat within their store. Importantly, however, this bill standing alone would not permit store owners to keep cats in their stores. Instead, further action would be required by the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets to change its regulations prohibiting the keeping of live animals within stores. Additionally, this bill would require the Office of Animal Welfare, in collaboration with the Department of Small Business Services, to establish a program to provide free vaccinations and spaying and neutering services to cats residing in retail food stores and to conduct an outreach campaign to inform retail food store owners regarding these programs.