Winter Haven, FL Animal Ordinances: Pet Limits (2026)

Section 21-69(b) sets Winter Haven's residential pet limit at four dogs or cats per dwelling unit, but only counts animals six months of age or older, so a litter of puppies or kittens under six months does not push a household over the cap while they're still young. The limit applies per dwelling unit rather than per property, which matters for duplexes and multifamily buildings where each unit gets its own four-animal allowance. Section 21-69(c) sets a separate, lower limit for commercial and industrial land: no more than two dogs may be kept in connection with a building used for commercial or industrial purposes.

That commercial cap has built-in exceptions for businesses whose entire purpose is animal care: a veterinarian's office, a kennel, a pet motel, the Humane Society, or a similar facility established and permitted for that use are not bound by the two-dog limit, since animals housed there are there for boarding, treatment or adoption rather than as a business's ordinary pets. Both limits sit in the same Section 21-69 that also covers livestock at large, wild-animal restrictions and chicken-keeping, all under the umbrella heading "Animal limitations" in Article II of the Unified Land Development Code.

Neither subsection distinguishes by zoning district: the four-dog residential cap and the two-dog commercial cap apply the same way in every district where the respective use is allowed.