Miami-Dade County Code Chapter 5 controls all cats inside Miami city limits, requiring rabies vaccination, county license tag, and prohibiting cats from running at large. Trap-Neuter-Return colonies must be registered with Animal Services to receive enforcement protection.
Miami-Dade Animal Services administers Chapter 5 countywide because the City of Miami has no separate animal-control code. Owners must vaccinate every cat over four months for rabies and obtain an annual or three-year county license tag. Cats may not run at large; off-property cats can be impounded as strays unless ear-tipped and registered to a permitted community-cat caregiver. Caregivers in the county TNR program receive ID cards and may continue feeding registered colonies. Reclaim fees apply for impounded cats lacking license or microchip. Outdoor cats must wear current rabies and license tags or be microchipped.
First offense for unlicensed or at-large cats brings a written warning and impound; subsequent offenses bring civil fines up to $500 per animal, mandatory spay/neuter, and possible county Code Enforcement liens.
Miami, FL
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See how Miami's cat rules rules stack up against other locations.
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