Port Orange, FL Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

Section 10-12(c) sets the residential pet cap in two tiers for dogs, cats, rabbits, guinea pigs and ferrets: no more than four adults of those species and no more than ten nonadults, for a combined maximum of 14 animals per dwelling unit. A separate limit of four adult animals applies to house geckos, iguanas, or birds of the psittaciforme (parrot) order. Smaller caged animals fall outside the numeric caps entirely: gerbils, hamsters and mice are unlimited provided the total volume of their cages does not exceed 40 cubic feet, birds of the passeriforme order are unlimited up to 120 cubic feet of combined cage volume, and aquarium fish, amphibians and reptiles have no volume limit at all.

Section 10-12(d) exempts licensed kennels, wildlife rehabilitation centers and shelter facilities from the household cap entirely, and subsections (e) and (f) allow unlimited livestock on land zoned flood plain-conservation, agriculture preservation or agriculture, and horses on rural residential (RR) zoned property, so long as the land development code's requirements and any special permit are met. An owner who wants to exceed the residential cap can apply in writing to the animal control authority for a waiver under § 10-12(g), listing the animal's species, number and the property's address, and the animal control authority makes a recommendation the city council then grants or denies after weighing sanitation, proximity to neighbors and any nuisance impact under § 10-12(i). A granted waiver is tied to the specific animal named in it and cannot be transferred to a replacement pet.