Florissant's Animal Ordinances: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles animal ordinances a little differently. In Florissant, Missouri, there are 12 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Cat Rules

Every Florissant resident who owns, controls or harbors a cat must obtain a City license under Section 205.070 and have the cat vaccinated against rabies before that license issues, per Section 205.090; the license itself is free but runs on a three-year term.

Key details: License required: every cat, Sec. 205.070. License fee: $0, no charge, Sec. 205.090. Vaccination: rabies certificate required before issuance. License term: 3 years. Tag: must be worn at all times, Sec. 205.100.

No fine is written into Article II, Division 1, so failing to license or vaccinate a cat is punished under Section 100.080's general penalty: up to a $1,000 fine, up to three months in jail, or both. An unlicensed or unvaccinated cat can also be impounded and is subject to redemption fees under Section 205.310 before release.

Dog Leash Laws

Florissant requires every owner to keep dogs, cats and other animals on their own premises. Section 205.240 fines an owner whose animal is caught running at large starting at $25 for a first offense and rising to $500 by the fifth offense within twelve months.

Key details: 1st offense: $25 minimum fine. 2nd offense: $50 minimum fine. 3rd offense: $75 minimum fine. 4th / 5th+ offense: $100 / $500 minimum. Reset period: 12 months without a new offense.

Section 205.240 sets its own escalating minimum fines rather than deferring to Section 100.080: $25 minimum for a first at-large offense within twelve months, $50 for a second, $75 for a third, $100 for a fourth, and a $500 minimum for a fifth or later offense in that same twelve-month period. Cases are prosecuted in Florissant Municipal Court.

Pet Limits

Florissant caps the usual household pets a resident can keep without a permit at four. Section 205.380 exempts the usual domestic animals and fowl, such as usual children's pets, from the Article IV keeping-permit scheme only if they do not exceed four in number.

Key details: Pet cap without permit: 4 animals, Sec. 205.380. Applies to: usual domestic animals/fowl, e.g. dogs, cats. Over the cap: requires Sec. 205.360 Council permit. Cross-reference: same 4-animal line in Sec. 205.360(A).

Keeping more than four of the usual household pets without the Section 205.360 permit is treated the same as any other unpermitted animal-keeping violation under Article IV, punishable under Section 100.080's general penalty of up to a $1,000 fine, up to three months in jail, or both, prosecuted in Florissant Municipal Court.

Bird Protection

Florissant designates the entire city as a bird sanctuary, and it is unlawful under City Code Section 205.050 to trap, hunt, shoot or molest any wild bird, or to disturb its nest or eggs, with only a narrow exception for nuisance flocks like starlings and crows.

Key details: Sanctuary area: entire city, Sec. 205.045. Prohibited acts: trap, hunt, shoot, molest wild birds. Nests/eggs: willful disturbance also unlawful. Pest exception: starlings, blackbirds, crows via Public Works Director. Max penalty: $1,000 fine / 3 months jail.

No specific fine is written into Sections 205.045 or 205.050, so a violation is prosecuted under Section 100.080's general penalty: a fine of up to one thousand dollars ($1,000.00), imprisonment in the City or County Jail for up to three (3) months, or both, with each day a violation continues counted as a separate offense. Cases are heard in Florissant Municipal Court.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Florissant actively enforces its bird protection requirements.

Microchipping

Florissant does not require microchipping for pets generally, but once the Director of Public Works declares an animal dangerous under Section 205.260, Section 205.270 requires the owner to have it permanently microchipped and to give the Health Department the chip number.

Key details: Trigger: animal declared dangerous under Sec. 205.260. Requirement: permanent microchip and chip number to Health Dept.. Compliance window: 14 calendar days from notice. Other conditions: orange collar, locked pen, $100 registration, $100k insurance. General pets: no citywide microchip mandate.

Failing to microchip a declared dangerous animal, or to meet any other Section 205.270 condition within the fourteen-day compliance window, is punishable under Section 100.080, up to a $1,000 fine or three months in jail, and the animal can be seized and impounded for a minimum of ten days or until the owner shows compliance, with the owner responsible for kennel fees.

Chickens & Livestock

Florissant bans keeping chickens, turkeys, and other livestock on residential property under Section 205.350 unless the owner obtains a City Council-approved keeping permit through Section 205.360; the ban does not apply to land actually operated as a farm, per Section 205.370.

Key details: Default rule: chickens/livestock prohibited without permit, Sec. 205.350. Permit process: Health Dept. review, then City Council vote. Neighbor consent: majority of contiguous owners required. Farm exemption: land operated as a farm, Sec. 205.370. Permit term: 3 years.

Keeping chickens, turkeys or other listed livestock without a Section 205.360 permit is punished under Section 100.080's general penalty, up to a $1,000 fine, up to three months in jail, or both, with each day of noncompliance potentially a separate offense, prosecuted in Florissant Municipal Court.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Florissant actively enforces its chickens & livestock requirements.

Veterinary Clinic Zoning

Florissant allows veterinarian offices as a permitted, by-right use in its "B-1" Local Shopping District and the city's other general commercial zones, with no special use permit required. The Zoning Code's parking table sets a distinct off-street parking ratio for "Veterinary clinics and hospitals" of 2.85 spaces per 1,000 square feet of floor area.

Key details: Permitted in: B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4 districts. Parking ratio: 2.85 spaces per 1,000 GFA. Special permit required: No, by-right use. Compare: Medical/dental offices: 4.5 per 1,000 GFA.

A veterinary practice sited in a district whose use list does not include "Veterinarian office," or one that does not provide the parking required under Section 405.225(I), is out of compliance with the Zoning Code, and Florissant's Building Commissioner can withhold a building or occupancy permit until the site plan meets the parking table. Continued non-compliance is enforceable as a Zoning Code violation in Florissant Municipal Court, with appeal available to the Board of Adjustment.

Breed Restrictions

Florissant defines "pit bull" by breed and physical traits under City Code Section 205.395 and bars anyone from breeding or transferring pit bull offspring without a permit from the Director of Public Works and Health. A first unpermitted breeding violation draws up to a $500 fine; a repeat offense can bring up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Key details: Governing section: Florissant Code § 205.395. Enforcing agency: Director of Public Works and Health. Breeding permit fee: $100 annually, non-transferable. First unpermitted breeding fine: Up to $500. Repeat violation: Up to 6 months jail, $1,000 fine.

Owning, keeping or harboring a pit bull without the required breeding permit draws a fine up to $500 for a first offense; a repeat violation is punishable by up to six months in jail, a fine up to $1,000, or both. Failing to post a permit number when transferring offspring costs $100 for a first offense, $200 for a second, and $500 for a third or later violation within a year.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Florissant actively enforces its breed restrictions requirements.

Pet Groomer Rules

Florissant's zoning code allows a pet grooming business for household pets as a permitted, by-right use in every one of its general commercial districts: the "B-1" Local Shopping, "B-2" Central Business, "B-3" Extensive Business and "B-4" Highway Commercial Districts. No special use permit or separate license beyond the City's standard business license process is required to open one there.

Key details: Permitted in: B-1, B-2, B-3, B-4 districts. Permit needed: None beyond standard business license. Use category: Domestic small household pet grooming. Distinct from: Kennels (separate parking standard).

Operating a use not on a district's permitted list, or operating pet grooming with unauthorized outdoor display or boarding activity a district's list does not cover, is a Zoning Code violation Florissant's Building Commissioner can act on, including denial or revocation of the required business license and referral to Florissant Municipal Court for prosecution as an ordinance violation. A grooming shop owner who wants a use combination the Code does not list can ask the Board of Adjustment for relief.

The rules around pet groomer rules in Florissant lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Mandatory Spay/Neuter

Florissant requires every pit bull to be spayed or neutered under City Code Section 205.395(B), with narrow exceptions for puppies, medical risk, new arrivals, breeders and show dogs. A first violation costs up to $500 plus impoundment; a second draws up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine.

Key details: Governing section: Florissant Code § 205.395(B). Enforcing agency: Director of Public Works and Health. First violation fine: Up to $500 plus impoundment. Vet deposit to reclaim dog: $100. Second violation: Up to 6 months jail, $1,000 fine.

A first unspayed/unneutered violation carries a fine of up to $500 and impoundment until the dog is fixed, either through the Director's vet ($100 deposit plus cost), a $60 delivery fee to the owner's own vet, or a signed two-week compliance affidavit. A second violation is punishable by up to six months in jail, a fine up to $1,000, or both, plus impoundment and disposal.

This is one of the stricter rules in Florissant's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Beekeeping

Keeping bees, including honeybees, on residential property in Florissant is unlawful under Section 205.350 unless the owner first obtains a City Council permit under Section 205.360, which requires a written application, site drawings, and written consent from a majority of contiguous neighbors.

Key details: Default rule: bees prohibited without a permit, Sec. 205.350. Permit authority: City Council, after Health Dept. review. Neighbor consent: majority of contiguous property owners required. Permit term: 3 years from Council approval. Farm exemption: Sec. 205.370.

Keeping bees without a Section 205.360 permit, or without the required neighbor consent, is punishable under Section 100.080's general penalty, up to a $1,000 fine, up to three months in jail, or both, prosecuted in Florissant Municipal Court, with the Council also able to revoke an existing permit after a hearing for noncompliance.

This is one of the stricter rules in Florissant's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Exotic Pets

Florissant's animal regulations (Chapter 205) follow state law (RSMo §578.023) prohibiting dangerous wild animals without local law enforcement registration. Wild, undomesticated, and inherently dangerous animals are not permitted in Florissant's residential areas.

Key details: Code: Chapter 205 + RSMo §578.023. Prohibited: Lions, tigers, bears, wolves, primates, large/venomous reptiles. Exceptions: Licensed zoological parks, educational institutions. Violation: Class C misdemeanor under state law.

Compared to other cities, Florissant takes a harder line on exotic pets. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

The Bottom Line

Florissant is tougher than many cities when it comes to animal ordinances. Out of the 12 rules covered here, 6 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Florissant, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

All of the above reflects Florissant's municipal code as of our last review. If you need specifics on fines, exemptions, or filing requirements, the detailed ordinance pages linked above have the full breakdown.