Bonita Springs, FL Animal Ordinances: Breed Restrictions (2026)

Bonita Springs regulates dangerous animals by conduct after a declaration, not by naming breeds. Under Sec. 8-15(a) the director of domestic animal services or a designee can declare an animal dangerous in accordance with applicable county administrative codes. The definition in Sec. 8-1 turns on what the animal did: aggressively biting, attacking or endangering a human, inflicting severe injury, severely injuring or killing a domestic animal more than once while off the owner's property, being used or trained for fighting, or chasing or approaching a person in a menacing manner attested to in a sworn statement. Sec. 8-14 adds that an owner's conviction for threatening or menacing behavior makes the animal dangerous for purposes of Sec. 8-15.

A declared animal must be confined in a secure enclosure on the owner's premises. It can leave only inside a secure marked carrier identifying it as dangerous, or under the physical control of a competent owner or keeper over 18, securely muzzled and held by a chain of at least 300 pounds tensile strength and no longer than three feet, attached to an approved harness supplied by domestic animal services at the owner's expense, or under conditions set by the director. The chapter's definition of a secure enclosure calls for a concrete base with a minimum of eight inches of block above it and a full, secure top with a locking door.

Release from impoundment requires proof of confinement, an affidavit, proof the animal is electronically implanted, sterilized and vaccinated for rabies, a one-time registration fee plus an annual fee (amounts on file in the city clerk's office), "Dangerous Animal" signs at all entry points, and a notarized landlord statement where applicable. An animal declared dangerous by another municipality is automatically declared dangerous in the county. Sec. 8-15(h) is the only breed reference: a person convicted under the section cannot own or keep an animal of the breed that caused the bite for three years, and no license issues for it. Dangerous animals cannot be used as guard dogs or for hunting, and Sec. 8-15(l) exempts injuries to a person committing a crime or willful trespass or teasing or abusing the animal or its owner.