Miramar, FL Animal Ordinances: Pet Store Rules (2026)

Under City Code Sec. 6-14(a), no pet store in Miramar may display, sell, trade, deliver, barter, lease, rent, auction, give away, transfer, offer for sale or transfer, or otherwise dispose of a dog or cat unless the animal was bred and reared on property owned by and zoned for the person or pet store, obtained from an animal shelter, obtained from an animal rescue organization, or obtained from a shelter or rescue organization operating out of or in connection with the pet store. This effectively converts every commercial pet outlet in the city to an adoption-only model for dogs and cats; only source-verified rescue or in-house-bred animals may change hands for money.

Sec. 6-14(b) backs the ban with a paper trail: each store must post and maintain a certificate of source within three feet of every dog's or cat's kennel, cage or enclosure, and must hand a copy to the buyer or transferee at the time of sale or transfer. The certificate has to identify the animal and give the name, address, phone number and email of the original source, and it must be signed by both the pet store operator, certifying accuracy, and the purchaser, acknowledging receipt.

Enforcement runs through the city's general penalty and code enforcement machinery: Sec. 6-14(c)(1) subjects violators to the penalties set out in Sec. 2-339 and Sec. 2-343 of the City Code, or any other enforcement procedure available under city ordinance or state law, and the city may separately sue in a court of competent jurisdiction to enjoin any violation, per Sec. 6-14(c)(2). The steepest exposure is reserved for fraud: under Sec. 00 in damages to each recipient of that falsified certificate, on top of any other penalty.

The ordinance was adopted by Ord. No. 16-15, Sec. 2, on August 17, 2016, and sits in Chapter 6 of the city's general code alongside the rest of Miramar's animal-control provisions, which are otherwise enforced through the Broward County Division of Animal Care and Regulation.