Miami-Dade County, FL Animal Ordinances: Dog Leash Laws (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Code § 5-20(d)
- Enforcement agency
- Miami-Dade Animal Services
- Scope
- Countywide, all 34 cities
- 2nd/3rd/4th+ penalty
- 2.5x / 3x / 3.5x base fine
- Exceptions
- Designated off-leash areas, hunting
Summary
Miami-Dade Animal Services bans letting a dog run unrestrained or "at large" anywhere in the county, on public property, private property without consent, or shared building common areas, with civil penalties that escalate on repeat offenses.
It shall be unlawful for a responsible party to allow, whether willfully or through failure to exercise due care or control, a dog to be unrestrained or to be at large in any manner in or upon: public property; a common area of a private building or development; or the private property of others without the express or implied consent of the property owner.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 135).
Full Breakdown
Miami-Dade County Code § 5-20(d) makes it unlawful for a responsible party to allow a dog to be unrestrained or at large on public property, in a common area of a private building or development, or on someone else's private property without consent. Chapter 5 expressly applies in "the incorporated and unincorporated areas of Miami-Dade County" (§ 5-2), so the ban reaches all 34 municipalities as well as unincorporated UMSA, unless a city has adopted its own non-conflicting leash rule under § 5-25. Exceptions cover county- or municipality-designated off-leash areas, service animals, and licensed hunting.
Violations & Fines
Enforced by Miami-Dade Animal Services with civil citations under Chapter 8CC: a second offense costs 2.5x the base penalty in § 8CC-10, a third costs 3x, and each later offense costs 3.5x, with intact (unneutered) dogs facing higher base fines than sterilized ones.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my dog be off-leash in a Miami-Dade park?
Does this apply inside cities like Hialeah or Homestead?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Miami-Dade County
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Miami-Dade County to another location·View the Florida animal ordinances overview
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