Miramar's Animal Ordinances: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles animal ordinances a little differently. In Miramar, Florida, there are 8 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.

Pet Store Rules

Miramar bans retail pet stores from selling dogs or cats unless the animal came from a shelter, a rescue group, or was bred on property zoned for the seller. City Code Sec. 6-14 makes this a puppy-mill ordinance enforced with civil penalties and a $2,500 damages remedy.

Key details: Governing section: City Code Sec. 6-14. Adopted: Ord. No. 16-15, 8-17-16. Allowed sources: In-house bred, shelter, or rescue only. Certificate posting: Within 3 feet of kennel/cage. Falsified certificate penalty: $2,500 per recipient.

Selling or transferring a non-exempt dog or cat, or failing to post/provide a certificate of source, exposes a pet store to the penalties in Sec. 2-339 and Sec. 2-343 plus possible injunctive action by the city. Falsifying a certificate of source triggers a separate $2,500.00 damages payment to each affected recipient, apart from any other penalty imposed.

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

Breed Restrictions

Miramar does not ban any breed by name; a dog is declared dangerous based on what it actually does, not what it is. A dog that menaces a person, kills or severely injures another animal off its owner's property, bites a person, or is used for dog fighting can be declared dangerous under city or Broward County procedures.

Key details: Breed-based ban: None; classification is conduct-based only. Trigger: Unprovoked menacing, severe bite, or killing another animal. Dog fighting use: Automatic dangerous-dog qualifier. Post-declaration duty: Muzzle and leash with owner present. Exemptions: Law-enforcement dogs and defensive bites excluded.

Failure to muzzle or leash a declared dangerous dog is a violation of Sec. 6-9, carrying the civil penalty amount set by Broward County, and the city can separately pursue enforcement under Chapter 2, Article XI (community standards and code enforcement); severe bite cases proceed under the county's dangerous-dog procedures and penalties in Chapter 4 of the Broward County Animal Care and Regulation Ordinance.

Bird Protection

Miramar has formally declared itself a bird sanctuary, making it unlawful anywhere in the city to hunt, wound, molest, injure or kill a bird. Capturing a bird is also banned except for the health and welfare of the public, not for resale or private use.

Key details: City status: Declared a bird sanctuary citywide. Banned acts: Hunt, wound, molest, injure or kill any bird. Capture rule: Unlawful except for public health and welfare. Not allowed: Capture for resale or private use. Default penalty: Up to $500 fine and/or 60 days jail.

Because Sec. 6-11 does not set its own fine, a violation is punished under the Code's general penalty, Sec. 1-13, which allows a fine of up to $500, imprisonment of up to 60 days, or both, with the city also able to pursue the matter through Chapter 2, Article XI community standards and code enforcement procedures.

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

Pet Groomer Rules

Miramar regulates dog grooming and animal-boarding facilities under the same Land Development Code standard as veterinary hospitals: fully enclosed buildings, soundproofing so barking cannot be heard outside, no exterior cages, and no outdoor exercise before 7 a.m. or after 7 p.m.

Key details: Building requirement: Fully enclosed, no windows where animals kept. Exterior cages: Prohibited. Outdoor exercise hours: 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. only. Minimum facility size: 1,500 sq ft. Crematory facilities: Not allowed.

Operating a grooming, boarding, or veterinary facility without the enclosed-structure, soundproofing, or exterior-cage restrictions, or exercising animals outside the 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. window, is a violation of Section 405.29 enforceable through the city's code compliance process, and can jeopardize the facility's underlying zoning approval. Operating without the required $110.25 annual animal grooming business tax receipt is separately enforceable under Code of Ordinances Section 11-32, with delinquency penalties up to twenty-five percent of the tax owed.

Dog Leash Laws

Miramar dogs cannot run loose on public property or on someone else's land without consent, and owners must keep direct, physical control over a dog off its own property. An at-large dog can be trapped or impounded, and any at-large dog that bites without provocation is automatically in violation.

Key details: Public property: Dogs may not stray, run or go at large. Private property: Owner consent required or dog is at large. Control standard: Direct, continuous physical control off owner's property. At-large dog: May be humanely trapped and impounded. Enforcement: Citation under county ordinance or city civil citation.

An officer, defined to include code enforcement officers, animal care officers or police, who finds a dog at large may seize and impound it, and can issue a citation under Sec. 4-28 of the Broward County Animal Care and Regulation Ordinance or a civil citation/summons to appear under Chapter 2, Article XI of the City Code (community standards and code enforcement).

Beekeeping

Miramar lets residents keep bees but the Land Development Code layers two hard local numbers onto the state beekeeping law: hives must sit at least 150 feet from any property line, and beekeepers must post signs within 100 feet of the hives warning the public.

Key details: Hive setback: 150 feet from any property line. Signage requirement: Posted within 100 feet of hives. State law reference: Fla. Stat. § 586.055, Ch. 586. Governing section: LDC § 405.3.4.

Keeping hives inside the 150-foot property-line setback or failing to post the required within-100-feet warning signage violates LDC § 405.3.4 and is treated as a zoning code violation, subject to the city's standard code compliance and Special Magistrate enforcement process rather than a fixed statutory fine.

Exotic Pets

Keeping a wild animal as a pet in Miramar requires the state permit that species requires under Florida wildlife rules; without it, ownership is unlawful citywide. Zoos, performing-animal exhibitions and circuses that use wild animals in shows are carved out of the restriction.

Key details: Core rule: No wild animal as pet without state permit. Governing state authority: Fla. Admin. Code Title 68; F.S. Ch. 372. Exempt uses: Zoos, performing-animal shows, circuses. Default penalty: Up to $500 fine and/or 60 days jail.

Section 6-10 carries no separate penalty of its own, so a violation is punished under the Code's general penalty, Sec. 1-13: a fine of up to $500, imprisonment of up to 60 days, or both, and it can also be pursued through the city's community standards and code enforcement process in Chapter 2, Article XI.

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

Chickens & Livestock

Miramar bans livestock citywide except where the Land Development Code allows it, and that carve-out is narrow: it applies only to parcels designated Rural or Estate, with a hard cap of three four-legged animals or ten fowl per acre on smaller Rural/Estate, RS1 and Estate lots. Ordinary residential zoning gets no allowance at all.

Key details: Citywide default: Livestock keeping prohibited. Where allowed: Rural or Estate land use designation only. Four-legged animal cap: 3 per acre on RL under 20 acres, E, RS1. Poultry/fowl cap: 10 per acre on RL under 20 acres, E, RS1. Large Rural lots: No numeric limit on RL 20+ acres.

Keeping livestock or poultry outside the LDC Sec. 405.3 allowance violates GC Sec. 6-12 and is punishable under the Code's general penalty, Sec. 1-13 (fine up to $500, up to 60 days imprisonment, or both); zoning-side violations of the head-count or nuisance standards in Table 405-3 are also enforceable through the city's code enforcement process.

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

The Bottom Line

Miramar is tougher than many cities when it comes to animal ordinances. Out of the 8 rules covered here, 4 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Miramar, 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 Miramar'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.