Davie, FL Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

The Town of Davie's animal ordinance (Chapter 4) does not impose a fixed maximum number of dogs or cats per household. Rather than a hard cap, Davie controls pet numbers indirectly through several requirements. Every dog must be licensed and vaccinated against rabies with a USDA-approved vaccine administered by a veterinarian (Sec. 4-62), and the rabies tag must be worn at all times. Dogs must be kept under control - on a leash, in the owner's presence, or confined by a fence - and may not create a nuisance such as excessive noise or running at large (Secs. 4-61, 4-63). The code's manner-of-keeping standards (Sec. 4-65.3) require clean, sanitary, humane conditions, adequate food, water, ventilation, shelter, and veterinary care, and set minimum outdoor space (100 square feet for a dog 20 pounds or less, 200 square feet for a larger dog, plus 40 square feet per additional dog) - which practically constrains how many animals a property can humanely house. Keeping too many animals to care for properly can trigger the cruelty/hoarding provision (Sec. 4-65.2), which expressly prohibits hoarding animals. For pet birds, Sec. 12-34(B) allows up to three poultry or fowl to be considered pets in all residential zoning designations. Rabies vaccination is also mandated by Section 828.30, Florida Statutes for all dogs, cats, and ferrets four months and older, and licensing/registration is handled at the county level through Broward County Animal Care.