In Brazil, the rules for dog breeders are set mainly by the states. We found no federal law that licenses breeders or sets breeding limits, so this page uses São Paulo State and its 2024 law as the main example. If you breed in another state, check that state’s own law.
The most important first
- São Paulo State Law 17.972 of July 10, 2024 covers everyone who breeds or sells dogs and cats as an economic activity. Breeders and sellers must hold a federal company registration (CNPJ) and the state tax registration (CADESP).
- Breeding dogs may be used only from their third heat or 18 months of age, may have no more than two pregnancies a year, and the mother must stay with her puppies for at least six to eight weeks.
- Puppies may be sold only from 120 days of age, with the vaccination schedule completed, including rabies, and with a microchip.
- The law also required sterilization before sale. The Federal Supreme Court has suspended that requirement while it decides the case.
- Puppies may not be sold in closed shop windows, given as prizes or gifts, or offered at street events, and online platforms must follow the same rules.
Last updated: November 8, 2026
Rules last checked: November 8, 2026
We checked this page against the official sources listed below on the date above. Rules can change after that date, and no single page can cover every situation, so something that matters to you may have been amended since, or may not be covered here at all. Before you rely on it, check these as well:
- ADI 7704: the Federal Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the merits; check whether the sterilization rules have been upheld or struck down.
- Your state: each state has its own rules; this page covers São Paulo State only.
- Microchip registration: the law says the state will regulate a microchip database; check whether it is in place and how to register.
- Imports and exports: bringing a dog into Brazil or sending a puppy abroad needs official certificates; check with the Ministry of Agriculture and the destination — see export and international sales.
- Business obligations: a breeding business has registration and tax obligations of its own.
Check the current rules at the source before each breeding year and before any sale that is new to you, such as a first litter or a first buyer in another state or country. Ask the authority in writing when the answer matters, and keep a dated note of what you checked and what you were told.
Last updated: November 8, 2026
São Paulo: who the law covers
São Paulo State Law 17.972 applies to the breeding and sale of domestic dogs and cats in the state. It defines breeding as the economic activity of keeping and reproducing animals under human control, and sale as buying, selling, reselling or exchanging them for economic purposes. Under Articles 4 and 5, breeders and anyone who keeps, sells or exchanges animals must be registered with the federal company register (CNPJ) and the state tax register (CADESP), and sellers’ registered business purpose must be breeding or selling domestic animals. The general structure of breeding law is in laws, regulations and kennel clubs.
Decree 69.515 of May 5, 2025 gave kennels and catteries 180 days to adapt to the law, and told the authorities to give guidance rather than penalties during that period.
Breeding limits
Article 4 sets the conditions for breeders:
- breeding animals may be used only from their third heat or 18 months of age;
- a breeding female may have no more than two pregnancies a year;
- in the last third of pregnancy she must be separated from the other dogs, and she must stay with her puppies for at least six to eight weeks;
- the law also said breeding females must be sterilized in their fifth year of life — see the note on sterilization below.
Our article on litter limits and age rules compares these limits with other countries.
Selling a puppy
Under Article 6, a puppy may be sold only when it is at least 120 days old and has completed its vaccination schedule, including the first three doses of the species-specific vaccines and rabies vaccination, and when it has been microchipped. At delivery the seller must check the microchip number against the invoice or contract. Article 8 lists the documents the buyer receives: the invoice, a document with the microchip number and a barcode label, and proof of parasite control and vaccination signed by a veterinarian, together with guidance on responsible ownership. Record the details in your kennel records.
Not confirmed, but worth noting: in the merits judgment of ADI 7704 (virtual session, September 11–18, 2026), the rapporteur, Justice Flávio Dino, voted to reduce the minimum age from 120 to 60 days and to drop the requirement that the full vaccination schedule be completed before sale. We have not been able to confirm the final outcome, so check whether the court has ruled before you plan a delivery date.
Article 5 bans keeping animals in closed shop windows or in spaces that restrict movement, Article 9 bans giving dogs as gifts or prizes in promotions, raffles or bingo, and Article 10 bans displaying them for sale at street events or in public spaces. Under Article 7, digital platforms that sell dogs and cats must follow the same rules.
The sterilization ruling
The law as passed required puppies to be surgically sterilized by four months of age and before sale. In ADI 7704, brought by the Brazilian Association of the Pet Products Industry and Instituto Pet Brasil, Justice Flávio Dino suspended the provisions requiring professional breeders to castrate puppies and kittens before four months of age, and the Federal Supreme Court’s plenary unanimously upheld the suspension in September 2024. The suspension lasts until the court rules on the merits. Decree 69.515 bars fines for the sterilization requirements until that final ruling. The rest of the law was not suspended by that decision, as far as the court’s announcement shows.
What the kennel clubs say
The CBKC is the club listed for Brazil by the FCI. In FCI countries, national kennel clubs set their breeding rules on top of the FCI’s International Breeding Rules, which themselves set no age or litter limits. The São Paulo law applies to breeders whether or not they register their litters with a kennel club.
Source: FCI, International Breeding Rules. National kennel clubs may set stricter rules.
Last updated: November 8, 2026
Rules change, so always check with your own kennel club.
Not confirmed, but worth noting
- Federal law. Brazil’s federal environmental crimes law sets penalties for mistreating animals, with heavier penalties for dogs and cats since 2020; we could not open the official text.
- Import rules. We could not open the Ministry of Agriculture’s page on bringing dogs into Brazil.
- The CBKC’s own rules. We could not open the CBKC’s rule documents, and we did not confirm the club’s full name in its own documents.
We could not confirm these points in the official text on the date checked, so treat them as questions to put to your authority, not as rules.
Last updated: November 8, 2026
In practice
A breeder in São Paulo State who has been selling puppies at 10 weeks reads the law and moves her earliest delivery date to 120 days, and checks the status of ADI 7704 before each litter in case the court lowers it. She registers her kennel with a CNPJ and CADESP, books microchipping and the full vaccination schedule, including rabies, before that date, and prepares a buyer pack with the invoice, the microchip label and the veterinarian-signed records. She stops using a pet fair stand for advertising and lists the litter only on her own website, under the same rules.
(Illustrative, composite scenario.)
Work on it
A few minutes here will teach you more than re-reading the article.
Ask yourself
- Which state’s law applies where I breed, and does it set its own selling age?
- Does each of my females meet the breeding-age and two-pregnancies-a-year limits?
- Does every buyer get the invoice, microchip details and vaccination records?
Find out & check
- Check the current status of ADI 7704 and of any state rules on microchip registration before your next litter.
Do one thing
- Set up a buyer pack template with every document Article 8 lists.
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Sources & further reading
- Assembleia Legislativa do Estado de São Paulo — Lei nº 17.972, de 10 de julho de 2024 (compiled version, updated by Decree 69.515 of May 5, 2025). al.sp.gov.br
- Assembleia Legislativa do Estado de São Paulo — Decreto nº 69.515, de 5 de maio de 2025. al.sp.gov.br
- Supremo Tribunal Federal — STF mantém suspensão de castração compulsória de cães e gatos em SP (September 17, 2024). noticias.stf.jus.br
- Jurinews — Flávio Dino vota contra castração obrigatória de animais em lei estadual (September 14, 2026). jurinews.com.br
- Fédération Cynologique Internationale — International Breeding Rules of the FCI. fci.be
Where evidence is limited, recommendations rest on established practice and expert judgment, and may be updated as knowledge develops. This is general information, not legal or financial advice: requirements differ between jurisdictions and change over time — confirm the current rules with the authority named here and have your own situation reviewed by a qualified professional where you breed.
Next steps
- Read next: Breeding and selling puppies in Mexico.
- Related: Breeding and selling puppies in the United States · Pre-breeding regulatory checklist: what to confirm before you breed.
- Return to the area hub: Becoming a responsible breeder.