Palm Beach Gardens, FL Animal Ordinances: Exotic Pets (2026)

Chapter 14 does not contain a freestanding exotic-animal ban; instead it defines what does count as a lawful household pet and leaves everything else outside that definition unauthorized. Section 14-1(a) provides that dogs, cats, and other domesticated animals, which may include fish, parrots, parakeets, canaries, rabbits, guinea pigs, hamsters, and turtles may be kept and maintained as household pets within the city, provided sanitary conditions are met; no other species is named. Section 14-1(b) then caps the numbers even for allowed pets: no more than four household pets weighing over ten pounds each, no more than ten weighing a pound or less each, and no more than four of the same biological family such as canines or felines, aside from litters under six months old, with aquarium fish capped at 25.

Section 14-1(c) requires any pet kept outdoors to be on a leash or otherwise confined, such as in a fully fenced yard or a portable kennel. Reinforcing the closed list, § 14-2 declares the entire city a bird and animal wildlife sanctuary and makes it unlawful to kill, injure, molest, or harm any bird or animal wildlife within the city, treating wild species as protected wildlife rather than something to be kept privately. Section 14-3 confirms that keeping any live bird or animal in a nonresidential district is unlawful unless it is incidental to a permitted use like a veterinary practice, boarding kennel, pet store, or agricultural operation, which is where a lawfully possessed animal outside the household-pet list, if any, would have to be sited.