St. Lucie County, FL Animal Ordinances: Mandatory Spay/Neuter (2026)

Section 6-28 requires the humane society or any other body designated and funded by the county as an adoption agency to make provision for sterilizing every cat and dog it releases for adoption, in one of two ways: a licensed veterinarian sterilizes the animal before the agency relinquishes custody, or the agency enters a written agreement with the adopter guaranteeing sterilization within 30 days of adoption or before the animal reaches sexual maturity, whichever comes first. Because a young kitten or puppy can reach sexual maturity before 30 days elapse in some cases, the earlier deadline controls.

To make the promise enforceable, the adoption agency must collect a sufficient deposit from the adopter, and that deposit is refundable only once the adopter presents written evidence from the veterinarian who performed the sterilization confirming the animal has been fixed. The code ties the deposit amount to outside guidance rather than setting a flat number itself: the deposit or donation may be based on recommended guidelines published by the Florida Federation of Humane Societies, giving the county-funded agency a benchmark rather than a fixed statutory fee.

The requirement applies specifically to animals coming from adoption agencies that receive county funding, distinguishing it from the private pet-seller rules in Section 6-35, which separately requires that dogs and cats sold at retail be sourced only from shelters or rescue organizations rather than breeders.