Animal Ordinances in Miami, FL

If you live in Miami or are thinking about moving there, animal ordinances are one of those things you probably won't think about until they affect you directly. Miami has 10 specific rules on the books covering different aspects of animal ordinances, and some of them might surprise you.

Wildlife Feeding

Miami prohibits vessel owners and guests from feeding or leaving food for wildlife, including birds and manatees, at the city's mooring facilities and marinas.

Key details: Where it applies: City mooring facilities and marinas. Who it covers: Vessel owners and their guests. Prohibited act: Feeding or leaving food for wildlife. Enforced by: The harbormaster. Max penalty: $500 fine or 60 days jail.

Violations fall under Miami's general penalty clause (Sec. 1-13): up to a $500 fine, up to 60 days in jail, or both, with each day a separate offense; the harbormaster enforces mooring-facility rules under Sec. 50-406.

Pet Groomer Rules

Pet grooming and styling salons operating in Miami must obtain an annual Local Business Tax Receipt before opening, at a flat fee of $99.00 under the city's BTR fee schedule.

Key details: Annual BTR fee: $99.00. Renewal deadline: October 1 each year. Max penalty: $500 fine or 60 days jail. Governing section: City Code § 31-50.

Operating a pet grooming or styling salon without a current BTR is a misdemeanor under Sec. 31-26(a), punishable per Sec. 1-13 by up to a $500 fine, 60 days in jail, or both, with each day a separate offense.

Bird Protection

Miami declares itself a bird sanctuary and makes it unlawful to shoot, trap, or kill any bird within city limits, with a narrow exception for city-run peafowl relocation.

Key details: Governing sections: Miami Code §§ 6-3, 6-4. Prohibited acts: shoot, trap, kill, or destroy birds. Exception: city peafowl relocation program only. Penalty: up to $500 fine, 60 days jail. Peafowl exception added: 2020, Ord. No. 13892.

Violating Sec. 6-4 falls under the Code's general penalty at Sec. 1-13: up to a $500 fine, 60 days in jail, or both, with each day of continued violation a separate offense.

Compared to other cities, Miami takes a harder line on bird protection. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Cat Rules

Miami-Dade County Code Chapter 5 controls all cats inside Miami city limits, requiring rabies vaccination, county license tag, and prohibiting cats from running at large. Trap-Neuter-Return colonies must be registered with Animal Services to receive enforcement protection.

Key details: Authority: Miami-Dade Code Ch. 5. Rabies tag: Required at 4 months. License: Annual or 3-year. TNR: Registered colonies only. Impound fee: $50+ reclaim.

First offense for unlicensed or at-large cats brings a written warning and impound; subsequent offenses bring civil fines up to $500 per animal, mandatory spay/neuter, and possible county Code Enforcement liens.

Microchipping

Miami-Dade County Code Chapter 5 requires every dog or cat adopted from, or reclaimed by, county Animal Services to be microchipped before release. Miami residents follow this county rule. Microchip registration must list the current owner address and phone.

Key details: Authority: Miami-Dade Code Ch. 5. Required at: Adoption or reclaim. Chip type: ISO 15-digit. Free clinics: Periodic events. Stray return: Faster with chip.

Releasing or adopting an unchipped pet, or refusing to microchip a reclaimed animal, results in surgery at owner expense, fines up to $200 per animal, and longer mandatory hold or potential loss of reclaim privileges.

Pet Limits

Keeping more than four dogs on a small residential lot in Miami (six on one-to-two acres, eight on two-plus acres) reclassifies the property as a kennel, triggering city maintenance and nuisance rules under City Code § 6-36 and § 6-37.

Key details: Kennel threshold, under 1 acre: more than 4 dogs. Kennel threshold, 1-2 acres: more than 6 dogs. Kennel threshold, 2+ acres: more than 8 dogs. Guard dogs on vacant/business land: max 4. First uncontested civil penalty: $50.00.

Exceeding the threshold without complying with kennel maintenance duties, or violating any city animal provision, is a civil infraction: $50 first offense (uncontested), rising to $400-$500 for a third or later violation under Sec. 6-71.

Pet Store Rules

Miami pet stores cannot sell dogs or cats at retail unless exempt as a shelter, rescue partner, or hobby breeder outlet: the city's 2017 puppy-mill ordinance pushes retail sales toward adoption instead of commercial breeding chains.

Key details: Governing section: City Code § 6-46. Retail pet-store sales: Dogs and cats banned. Exempt: Shelters, rescues, hobby breeders. Certificate of source: Required within 3 feet of enclosure. Adopted: Ord. No. 13696, July 2017.

First violation: $50 uncontested civil penalty ($100 if contested and found liable); penalties escalate to $200/$300 for a second violation and $400/$500 for the third and beyond, per § 6-71.

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

Veterinary Clinic Zoning

Miami 21 splits veterinary uses in two: an Animal Clinic with light overnight care is a Commercial use, while any Animal Kennel boarding eight or more animals is classified Industrial and confined to industrial-designated Transect Zones.

Key details: Animal Clinic: Commercial: General Commercial use. Boarding threshold: 7 or fewer animals = Clinic. Animal Kennel (8+ animals): Industrial: Products and Services. Kennel location: Restricted to D Industrial zones. Permit type: Warrant or Exception, by Table 3.

Operating an Animal Kennel (8+ boarded animals) outside a D-designated Industrial Transect Zone, or opening a General Commercial use like an Animal Clinic in a zone where Table 3 does not list it as a Warrant or Exception use, is a zoning violation subject to Miami 21 code enforcement: separate from the DBPR veterinary licensing requirement and any Miami-Dade County animal-services rules.

Chickens & Livestock

Miami allows up to 15 hens and 30 growing chicks per property with a county health permit, but bans roosters entirely and requires pens sit at least 100 feet from any dwelling.

Key details: Hen/chick cap: 15 hens + 30 growing chicks. Roosters: Banned outright, any time. Pen setback: 100 ft from any dwelling. Permit needed: County health unit permit. Droppings: Removed at least twice weekly.

Keeping poultry without the county health permit, exceeding 15 hens or 30 chicks, keeping any rooster, or placing pens within 100 feet of a dwelling violates Sec. 6-1 and can draw code enforcement citations.

Dog Leash Laws

Miami's general at-large ordinance (Sec. 6-2) explicitly exempts dogs and cats, so the city has no citywide leash mandate for streets or sidewalks. The only leash requirement in the municipal code is Sec. 38-57, covering public parks.

Key details: City leash law scope: Public parks only. Governing sections: City Code §§ 6-2, 38-57. First-offense park fine: $50.00. Repeat-offense fine: $500.00 (3rd+). Off-leash exception: Dept.-designated park areas.

Violating the park leash rule (Sec. 38-57) draws a $50 fine for a first offense, $250 for a second, and $500 for a third or subsequent offense, enforced under Sec. 38-48 and Chapter 2, Article X of the City Code.

Miami is more permissive than most cities when it comes to dog leash laws. That said, there are still limits.

The Bottom Line

Miami is tougher than many cities when it comes to animal ordinances. Out of the 10 rules covered here, 2 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Miami, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

These rules come from Miami's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.