Monroe County, FL Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Monroe County Code Section 4-76(b) makes it unlawful for any person, partnership or corporation to possess or harbor a wild animal in the unincorporated Florida Keys, carving out only zoological parks, properly licensed transient exhibitions, circuses, licensed veterinarians and DEP-licensed wildlife caregivers. Anyone who keeps a wild or exotic animal, or a crossbreed of a wild animal with a domestic one, as defined by federal or state statute, must obtain and keep current a state permit for keeping, possessing or exhibiting the animal, comply with the zoning restrictions that apply to the parcel, and restrain the animal so the public is protected from harm.

Enforcement runs through the animal control officer and the county attorney: when an officer believes someone holds an unpermitted wild or exotic animal, the officer files a report with the county attorney's office, which can petition for a show cause hearing to establish the animal's status. Once a court finds the animal wild or exotic, the owner has 14 calendar days to fully comply with the restraint and permitting requirements of Section 4-76. Missing that deadline draws a citation requiring a court appearance, and the judge can order the animal destroyed or otherwise disposed of at the owner's expense.

Animal control officers may also seize an inadequately restrained wild or exotic animal at any point after a judge's ruling and hold it until the owner proves compliance, billing the owner for the holding costs.