Coral Springs, FL Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Two sections of Coral Springs' animal control chapter address exotic and wild animals kept as pets. Section 4-2(a) makes it unlawful to release, intentionally or unintentionally, any animal, reptile or fowl that is wild and untamed and not domesticated, that is susceptible to rabies without having been vaccinated, or that is not native to Florida and requires a Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission permit. Because keeping such an animal necessarily risks release within the city, this section functions as the city's baseline exotic-pet restriction alongside the livestock ban in § 4-2(c).

Section 4-21 goes further for hybrid animals specifically. It is unlawful to own, harbor, keep, transport, sell, or breed any wildlife hybrid of the family canis (such as a wolf-dog) or felis (such as a bobcat-domestic cat cross), or to breed any wildlife with a dog or cat. The prohibition doesn't reach animals that were already in the city before the ordinance passed, but those grandfathered owners must hold a current permit from the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission and must house and confine the animal so it poses no threat to the community. Any wildlife hybrid that doesn't qualify for that grandfather exception is treated as contraband: the owner must remove it to someone outside Coral Springs who holds a state permit, or surrender it to Broward County Animal Control for disposal.

Violations of § 4-2 carry a $50 minimum civil penalty for restricted-animal offenses generally under § 1-8.1(d)(2), while wildlife hybrid violations under § 4-21(a) carry a steeper $250 minimum civil penalty under § 1-8.1(d)(24), escalating to as much as $500 for repeat violations under § 1-8.1(e)(3).