Miami-Dade County requires dogs and cats to be microchipped as part of pet licensing under Chapter 5, and Animal Services uses chips to return strays to owners and reduce shelter intake countywide.
Chapter 5 of the Miami-Dade Code ties pet licensing to microchipping. Animal Services implants ISO-standard chips at adoption and at low-cost community events, and owners must keep chip registration current with their address and phone number. When animal control officers pick up a stray, they scan for a chip first, and chipped pets are typically returned home directly without a shelter stay. Veterinarians and rescues operating in unincorporated Miami-Dade must report chip numbers when issuing rabies tags so the county database stays synchronized.
Owners with unchipped or unregistered pets risk citations during licensing audits and may face higher reclaim fees if their unchipped animal is impounded by Miami-Dade Animal Services.
See how Miami Gardens's microchipping rules stack up against other locations.
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