Animal Ordinances in Homestead, FL

If you live in Homestead or are thinking about moving there, animal ordinances are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Homestead has 12 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of animal ordinances, and some of them might surprise you.

Beekeeping

Florida encourages beekeeping under FL Statute Section 586 and the Florida Bee Act. Homestead beekeepers must register with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Hives must be managed responsibly with adequate water sources and setbacks. Homestead's tropical agriculture makes beekeeping particularly beneficial for pollination.

Key details: Registration: Required with FDACS. State Law: FL Statute Section 586. Flyway Barrier: Recommended to redirect flight paths. Water Source: Must provide to prevent nuisance. Contact: FDACS (352) 395-4691.

Unregistered apiaries face FDACS enforcement. Nuisance bee colonies may be ordered removed. Swarms and aggressive colonies should be reported to FDACS at (352) 395-4691. No city fines for compliant beekeeping.

The rules around beekeeping in Homestead lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

Pet Limits

Homestead doesn't print its own numeric dog limit; instead Sec. 4-90 adopts Miami-Dade County's Chapter 5 definition of a "kennel" by reference, and once city code compliance determines a property's dogs meet that county threshold, the owner must apply for and obtain a permit to correct the situation.

Key details: No flat cap: City text sets no numeric dog cap of its own (Sec. 4-90). Definition source: Kennel definition pulled from Miami-Dade County Code Ch. 5. Trigger: Code compliance department determines kennel status. Owner duty: Owner must apply for a permit after notice. Cross-reference: Zoning Chapter 30 governs the resulting permit.

Failure to apply for and obtain the required kennel permit after the city's notice is enforced through Chapter 7 code enforcement board proceedings and the general penalty in Sec. 1-11: a fine of up to $500, up to 60 days in jail, or both, with each day the property remains out of compliance treated as a separate, continuing offense.

Compared to other cities, Homestead takes a harder line on pet limits. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Pet Groomer Rules

Homestead classifies animal grooming as its own local business tax category under Sec. 16-40: code 07522 for a standalone grooming business at $87.00 a year, or code 07523 at $17.00 if grooming is added onto an existing licensed business. Operating without the receipt is a separate code violation.

Key details: Standalone grooming fee: $87.00/year (code 07522). Added-on grooming fee: $17.00/year (code 07523). Application fee: $25.00, nonrefundable. Economic development fee: 10% of the tax due. Receipt expiration: September 30 annually.

Operating a pet grooming business in Homestead without the local business tax receipt classified under code 07522 or 07523 is a violation of Sec. 16-17(c), punishable by a fine of not more than $250.00. Failing to keep the receipt conspicuously posted at the grooming location, as Sec. 16-17(d) requires, triggers liability for another local business tax on top of the fine.

Bird Protection

Homestead's code declares the entire city a bird sanctuary and makes it unlawful to trap, shoot, hunt or otherwise molest any bird or wild fowl, or to rob a bird's nest, anywhere inside city limits, with violations enforced under the city's general penalty and a narrow health-authority nuisance exception.

Key details: Sanctuary area: Entire city designated a bird sanctuary. Core ban: Trapping, shooting, hunting, molesting birds banned citywide. Nests: Robbing bird or wild fowl nests also prohibited. Exception: Nuisance-bird destruction needs health authority + police oversight. Penalty: Up to $500 fine or 60 days jail (Sec. 1-11).

Because Secs. 4-3 and 4-4 carry no standalone fine, a violation is punished under the citywide general penalty, Sec. 1-11: a fine not exceeding $500, imprisonment not exceeding 60 days, or both, at the judge's discretion. Each day the violation continues is a separate offense, and only the health authorities, working with the Homestead Police Department, may order destruction of nuisance birds.

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

Exotic Pets

Homestead makes it unlawful to keep any wild animal or reptile inside the city unless the owner is already in compliance with Florida's wildlife law, Fla. Stat. Chapter 372, and the regulations issued by the state wildlife agency, effectively conditioning local exotic-pet ownership on holding the required state license.

Key details: Core rule: Wild animal/reptile ownership tied to state compliance (Sec. 4-14). State law: References Fla. Stat. Chapter 372 wildlife law. Agency: Cites Florida Game & Fresh Water Fish Commission (now FWC). Local enforcement: City can cite independently of state action. Penalty: Up to $500 fine or 60 days jail (Sec. 1-11).

A Sec. 4-14 violation is punished under the citywide general penalty, Sec. 1-11: a fine not exceeding $500, imprisonment not exceeding 60 days, or both, with each day the animal remains unlawfully kept treated as a separate offense. The animal control division may investigate on complaint but needs owner consent or a warrant to enter private property.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Homestead actively enforces its exotic pets requirements.

Wildlife Feeding

Feeding wildlife in Homestead is discouraged and may violate city nuisance ordinances. Feeding alligators is illegal statewide under FL Statute Section 828.122. The city's proximity to the Everglades means encounters with wildlife including alligators, raccoons, iguanas, and various bird species are common. Trash must be secured to prevent wildlife access.

Key details: Alligator Feeding: Criminal offense. FL Statute 828.122. Iguanas: Invasive: can be removed without permit. Trash Security: Must secure bins with lids. Feral Cats: TNR programs through Miami-Dade. Contact: FWC (888) 404-3922.

Feeding alligators carries fines up to $500 and up to 60 days in jail. Wildlife feeding creating nuisance conditions carries code enforcement fines of $50 to $250. Contact FWC at (888) 404-3922 for alligator issues.

Pet Store Rules

Homestead bans every retail pet store in the city from selling, displaying, bartering, auctioning or giving away dogs or cats, a citywide adoption-only rule adopted in 2014 that even reached stores already operating, and that exempts only on-site non-retail breeders, shelters and nonprofit rescue groups.

Key details: Core ban: All pet stores banned from selling dogs/cats (Sec. 4-122). No grandfathering: Ban applies even to pre-2014 stores (Sec. 4-123). Effective date: Ord. No. 2014-10-16, effective 10-22-14. Exemptions: Non-retail on-site breeders, shelters, rescues exempted. Adoptions: Stores may still host shelter/rescue adoptions (Sec. 4-125).

Division 4 sets no fine of its own, so a pet store that sells, displays or transfers a dog or cat in violation of Sec. 4-122 or Sec. 4-123 is punished under the citywide general penalty, Sec. 1-11: a fine of up to $500, up to 60 days in jail, or both, with each animal sold and each day of the violation treated as a separate offense by the city's code compliance department.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Homestead actively enforces its pet store rules requirements.

Chickens & Livestock

Homestead has a strong agricultural heritage, and livestock keeping is permitted on properties with appropriate zoning. Agricultural (AU) zoned properties can keep horses, cattle, goats, sheep, and pigs. Residential lots generally cannot keep large livestock. Florida's Right to Farm Act protects established agricultural operations.

Key details: Agricultural Zoning: Livestock permitted on AU lots. Residential: Large livestock generally prohibited. Right to Farm: FL Statute 823.14 protects ag operations. Manure: Must manage to prevent water pollution. Contact: (305) 224-4800 Code Compliance.

Keeping livestock in non-agricultural zones carries fines of $100 to $500 per day. Animal welfare violations are handled by Miami-Dade Animal Services. Environmental violations from manure runoff trigger DEP enforcement. Contact Code Compliance at (305) 224-4800.

Cat Rules

Homestead requires every cat over four months old to be rabies-vaccinated by a licensed veterinarian with proof filed on an official county certificate, while actual cat registration and tag purchase under Sec. 4-109 remain entirely voluntary, unlike the county's mandatory dog licensing system.

Key details: Vaccination age: Cats over 4 months must be rabies-vaccinated (Sec. 4-107). Vaccine type: Must be modified live virus, not low egg passage. Registration: Registration/tag purchase is voluntary (Sec. 4-109). Vet duty: Vets must report vaccinations to animal control biweekly. Sellers: Cat sellers must report sales weekly (Sec. 4-110).

An owner who fails to vaccinate a cat over four months old, or a veterinarian who willfully fails to file the biweekly vaccination reports required by Sec. 4-108, is subject to the citywide general penalty in Sec. 1-11: a fine of up to $500, up to 60 days in jail, or both, with each day the violation continues counted as a separate offense.

Dog Leash Laws

Dogs in Homestead must be on a leash when in public spaces under Miami-Dade County Code Chapter 5. Leashes must be no longer than 6 feet and held by a person capable of controlling the dog. Off-leash dogs are permitted only in designated dog parks. Owners must clean up after their dogs in public areas.

Key details: Leash Length: 6 ft maximum. County Code: Miami-Dade Chapter 5. Off-Leash: Only in designated dog parks. Cleanup: Required on public property. Contact: (305) 884-1101 Animal Services.

Off-leash violations carry fines of $50 to $200. Failure to clean up after dogs incurs fines of $50 to $100. Dogs without current tags face additional citations. Contact Miami-Dade Animal Services at (305) 884-1101.

Breed Restrictions

Miami-Dade County, including Homestead, bans pit bull-type dogs under County Code Section 5-17.1. This is one of the few remaining breed-specific bans in Florida. Owning, keeping, or harboring pit bulls is illegal and subject to seizure and euthanasia. No grandfather clause exists for existing dogs.

Key details: Breed: Pit bulls banned countywide. County Code: Section 5-17.1. Enacted: 1989, upheld 2012 referendum. Penalty: Seizure, up to $500 fine, jail. Contact: (305) 884-1101 Animal Services.

First offense is a warning with mandatory removal from the county. Failure to comply results in seizure and potential euthanasia of the dog. Owners face fines of $500 and up to 6 months in jail. Contact Miami-Dade Animal Services at (305) 884-1101.

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

Veterinary Clinic Zoning

Homestead allows veterinary clinics only as 'dog and pet hospitals in air conditioned buildings' in the B-2 retail commercial district, with overnight boarding of animals expressly barred, under City Code § 30-276(b)(15). Pet shops and grooming parlors face the identical air-conditioning and no-boarding conditions.

Key details: Allowed use: Dog/pet hospitals in B-2 district. Building requirement: Must be air conditioned. Boarding: Overnight boarding not permitted. Related use: Pet shops/grooming face same rule. Governing code: City Code § 30-276(b)(15), (24).

Operating a dog and pet hospital that boards animals overnight, or running one outside an air-conditioned building, exceeds the use permitted by § 30-276(b)(15) and is enforceable as a zoning violation by Homestead's Development Services and Code Enforcement Divisions under Chapter 7, which can require the unauthorized boarding use to stop or force the operator to obtain a special exception.

The Bottom Line

Homestead is tougher than many cities when it comes to animal ordinances. Out of the 12 rules covered here, 5 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Homestead, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

This guide is based on Homestead's current municipal code. Local rules can and do change, so check the individual ordinance pages for the latest details, penalties, and FAQs.