The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Ohio HB 620 bans retail financing and consumer loans for purchasing dogs and cats
Last action · February 4, 2026: Referred to AgricultureSponsors: Lauren McNally and 3 others
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What This Bill Would Do
Retail sellers and financial lenders are prohibited from making s, loans, leases, or lease-purchases for acquiring a dog or cat under House Bill 620. Any prohibited financing agreement is rendered legally void, stripping the seller or lender of any right to collect principal, interest, or charges or to hold a in the animal. Violating these provisions constitutes an unfair or deceptive consumer sales practice.
Lenders and retail pet sellers lose the legal authority to offer credit or payment plans for pet purchases, while consumers gain the right to sue for statutory damages and injunctive relief if trapped in illegal financing contracts.
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Retail sellers
Retail sellers are prohibited from making retail installment sales for dog or cat purchases and forfeit collection rights on voided contracts.
Financial licensees and registrants
Licensees and registrants are barred from making loans, leases, or lease-purchases for dogs or cats and lose security interests on illegal contracts.
Consumers
Borrowers injured by violations gain a direct cause of action and consumer relief remedies under state law.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens to an existing loan or installment contract used to buy a dog or cat if this bill passes?
Who can take legal action if a lender violates this ban?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
2 actions- Feb 4, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred to Agriculture
- Dec 3, 2025HouseIntroducedIntroduced
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Comprehensive Financing Ban Across Multiple Financial Statutes
The bill amends multiple sections of the Revised Code governing different types of lenders and retail sellers to universally outlaw credit for purchasing dogs and cats.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legislature.ohio.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance65How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz35Current news / social attention level
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