Miami-Dade County Code requires sterilization of all owned dogs and cats over six months unless the owner buys an annual unaltered-animal permit and meets breeder standards. The rule applies inside Miami because the city defers to county Animal Services for animal control.
Chapter 5 of the Miami-Dade Code mandates spay or neuter for any dog or cat older than six months found at large, impounded, or surrendered, and for all adoptions from the county shelter. Owners who wish to keep an unaltered pet must apply for an annual Unaltered Animal Permit, demonstrate compliant kennel housing, and pay an elevated license fee. Litters may only be sold by licensed breeders. Repeat impounds of intact animals trigger automatic sterilization at the owner's expense before release. The county subsidizes low-cost spay/neuter clinics for Miami residents below income limits.
Failure to sterilize without a permit triggers civil fines starting at $100, escalating to $500 per offense, mandatory surgery at owner expense before reclaim, and possible loss of pet ownership privileges for repeat offenders.
Miami, FL
Miami-Dade County Code Chapter 5 controls all cats inside Miami city limits, requiring rabies vaccination, county license tag, and prohibiting cats from runn...
Miami, FL
Miami-Dade County Code Chapter 5 requires every dog or cat adopted from, or reclaimed by, county Animal Services to be microchipped before release. Miami res...
Miami, FL
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See how Miami's mandatory spay/neuter rules stack up against other locations.
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