St. Lucie County, FL Animal Ordinances: Cat Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Registration deadline
- Within 30 days of acquiring cat
- Tag source
- Participating veterinarian's office
- Tag validity, unsterilized
- 1 year
- Tag validity, sterilized
- Lifespan of the cat
- Community cat exemption
- Sterilized, vaccinated, ear-tipped, microchipped
- Max civil penalty
- $500 per day
Summary
Every cat four months or older kept in unincorporated St. Lucie County must carry a county registration tag, renewed yearly unless the cat is sterilized. Community cats, sterilized, vaccinated, ear-tipped and microchipped feral colony cats, are exempt from registration but can still be impounded if they become a nuisance.
Except as otherwise provided herein, it shall be unlawful for any person to own, keep, harbor, maintain, or have custody of any dog or cat four months or older, unless such dog or cat has been currently registered in accordance with the provisions of this article. This article shall not apply to community cats as defined herein.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 32 | Land Development Code: Supplement 36).
Full Breakdown
County Code Sec. " Sec. 6-19 defines a community cat as one that has been sterilized, vaccinated, ear tipped, microchipped with chip information registered with the county, and returned outdoors to live independent of human intervention, the standard trap-neuter-return colony cat. Under Sec. 6-52, owners must obtain the tag within 30 days of acquiring the cat or moving into the unincorporated area, purchased directly from a participating veterinarian's office displaying the county animal control division seal, with proof of a current rabies vaccination affidavit and a sterilization certificate if applicable.
A tag is valid one year from issuance or the rabies shot, whichever is earlier, for unsterilized cats, but lasts the animal's lifespan once it's sterilized. Registration/identification tags are nontransferable between animals or owners, and a new owner has 30 days to re-register a transferred cat. Net proceeds from tag sales go to the clerk of the circuit court's animal registration fund, earmarked for county spay/neuter programs. Even an exempt community cat isn't free of oversight: Sec. 6-25(b) provides that a community cat found to be a public nuisance will be impounded at a local animal care facility, and once impounded for that reason it can never be returned to the location it was removed from, or to any spot within two miles of an adjoining county's boundary.
Violations & Fines
Failing to register a cat is a civil infraction under Sec. 6-29(e), punishable by a civil penalty up to $500 per day the violation continues, plus a mandatory $5.00 surcharge under F.S. § 828.27(4)(b) that funds animal control officer training. An animal control officer may issue a citation on probable cause or first issue a warning citation with a corrective deadline. Citations are heard in St. Lucie County Court, and an owner cited for a third or subsequent violation of the animal control article must appear in court in person.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to register my indoor cat in St. Lucie County?
What counts as an exempt community cat?
Can a feral colony cat still be picked up by animal control?
How much does an unregistered cat citation cost?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in St. Lucie County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare St. Lucie County to another location·View the Florida animal ordinances overview
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