Miami, FL Animal Ordinances: Bird Protection (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- Miami Code §§ 6-3, 6-4
- Prohibited acts
- shoot, trap, kill, or destroy birds
- Exception
- city peafowl relocation program only
- Penalty
- up to $500 fine, 60 days jail
- Peafowl exception added
- 2020, Ord. No. 13892
Summary
Miami declares itself a bird sanctuary and makes it unlawful to shoot, trap, or kill any bird within city limits, with a narrow exception for city-run peafowl relocation.
(a)It shall be unlawful for any person to shoot, trap, or in any manner kill or destroy birds within the city, except as provided in subsection 6-4(b).(b)Nothing in this section shall prevent the following:(1)The city shall have the authority to take any and all necessary remedial actions to address the proliferation of peafowl located within the city.(2)Any peafowl trapped or relocated pursuant to subsection 6-4(b)(1) of the City Code from within the city shall be done so in a humane manner and be relocated to an appropriate sanctuary or other facility by a licensed trapper to ensure the safety of the peafowl.(3)No trapped or relocated peafowl shall be released into the wild in another part of the state.(4)The city shall implement a peafowl management plan to address the relocation of peafowl. The peafowl management plan shall be as described in Exhibit "A" to Ord. No. 13892, which may be amended by resolution of the city commission as needed from time to time. (Code 1967, § 5-8; Code 1980, § 6-4; Ord. No. 13892, § 2, 2-13-20)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 23 | Ordinance 11000 (Previous Zoning Code): Supplement 22 | Miami 21 (Zoning Code): ?).
Full Breakdown
Miami Code § 6-3 declares the entire city a bird sanctuary. Section 6-4 builds on that by making it unlawful for anyone to shoot, trap, or in any way kill or destroy birds within city limits. The only carve-out is the city's own peafowl management program: the city is authorized to trap and relocate peafowl to an appropriate sanctuary through a licensed trapper, but relocated peafowl can never be released into the wild elsewhere in Florida. That program runs under the peafowl management plan adopted by Ord. No. 13892 in 2020. No other exception exists, hunting, shooting, or trapping any wild bird species is flatly prohibited.
Violations & Fines
Violating Sec. 6-4 falls under the Code's general penalty at Sec. 1-13: up to a $500 fine, 60 days in jail, or both, with each day of continued violation a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I shoot or trap birds on my own property in Miami?
Are peafowl exempt from Miami's bird protection ordinance?
What happens if I violate Miami's bird protection law?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Miami
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Miami to another location·View the Florida animal ordinances overview
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Bird Protection in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Miami-Dade County handle bird protection.