Monroe County, FL Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

Monroe County Code Section 4-77 sets no numeric limit on household pets. Subsection (a) states plainly that the number of dogs, cats and ferrets is not restricted so long as the animals are properly licensed, vaccinated, housed and cared for, do not cause a nuisance, and comply with any applicable housing or homeowners' association rules. Subsection (b) treats birds the same way: any number may be kept as long as they are adequately and humanely cared for, their noise does not intrude on neighbors, and unsanitary conditions do not create a health or safety threat to the public.

The practical limit on pet-keeping in the unincorporated Keys comes from the licensing, vaccination and nuisance provisions found elsewhere in Chapter 4, not from a headcount rule: an owner who lets pets go unlicensed or unvaccinated, or whose animals become a public nuisance under Section 4-67, can be cited and required to abate the nuisance within 14 days of notice, up to and including permanent removal, euthanasia or relocation of the animal from the county. Deed restrictions and condo or HOA rules can independently cap pet numbers on a given parcel even though the county code itself does not.