Miami Beach, FL Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Sec. 10-9(a) prohibits any person from keeping, harboring or maintaining 'any animal or vermin whose natural actions and presence are or may be deleterious or harmful to the public health or that may imperil the public safety,' with a narrow carve-out for circuses, carnivals or similar enterprises lawfully exhibiting animals. Because the standard is written around the animal's dangerous or harmful nature rather than a species list, it is the provision the code compliance department uses against keeping wild or exotic animals as pets in the city.

Enforcement escalates sharply: a first violation draws only a written warning, a second within six months carries a $1,000 civil fine, a third within six months carries $5,000, and a fourth or subsequent violation within six months carries a $10,000 fine plus revocation of the violator's business tax receipt. The code compliance department enforces the section, though it does not preclude other law enforcement agencies from acting. A cited party gets a notice of violation stating the fine and a ten-day window to either pay or request an administrative hearing before a special magistrate; missing that window is deemed an admission and waives the hearing right.

Businesses must submit written verification of compliance with their business tax receipt application or annual renewal. Unpaid fines become a recordable lien on real or personal property, enforceable like a court judgment by the sheriff after 61 days, and the special magistrate has no discretion to reduce the fixed penalty amounts.