What the law says about your pet

Most pet law in the United States is state law, which means most questions have fifty answers. These pages cover the parts where there is one answer for the whole country, because that is the part anyone can state honestly without knowing where you live.

Where something depends on your state, the page says so and points you at your own state rather than guessing. Everything here names the body that published it and links to the original.

This is information, not legal advice. Petipedia is not a law firm and cannot tell you what to do about your own situation. Everything below names the body that published it so you can read the original. Where something depends on which state you are in, it says so, and you will need to check your own state or talk to a lawyer there.

Renting with a petWhat a landlord can charge and ban, why a service or support animal is not a pet, and the change HUD made in 2026.Service animals, and the two questionsA shop, a home and a plane run on three different laws. The only two questions staff are allowed to ask.Who is who at the vet clinicDVM and VMD, the specialist letters, CVT, LVT and RVT, the assistant with no credential, and what the badges on the clinic door mean.Traveling with a petDriving between states, flying, and the US dog import rules that changed in 2024 and are still reported wrong.What your pet is, in lawYour pet is property, which decides what you can recover if someone hurts it. And why a microchip is not proof it is yours.If your pet is lost, taken, or hurtHow long a shelter holds a stray, what the federal cruelty law actually covers, and why there is no federal pet theft law.Divorce, wills, and who gets the animalThe eight places where a court must consider the animal itself, and how a pet trust works.