Pembroke Pines's Animal Ordinances: The Rules That Matter

Every city handles animal ordinances a little differently. In Pembroke Pines, Florida, there are 9 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.

Chickens & Livestock

Pembroke Pines caps backyard livestock at four grazing animals per 35,000 square feet and poultry at 25 birds per lot, with strict setbacks for the pens, coops, and barns that house them under LDC § 155.510.

Key details: Grazing animal limit: 4 per 35,000 sq ft. Poultry limit: 25 birds total per lot. Livestock structure setback: 100 ft from lot line. Small stable (≤4 horses) setback: 50 ft from side/rear line. Hog structure setback: 200 ft from lot line.

Keeping livestock, poultry, or hogs beyond the numeric caps, or housing them in structures that violate the setback distances, is a zoning code violation enforced by the city's Code Compliance Division under the Land Development Code. Violations can trigger a code enforcement case leading to correction orders and fines through the Special Magistrate process, plus removal of noncompliant animals or structures.

Cat Rules

Section 91.01 requires anyone walking a cat (or dog) in Pembroke Pines to keep it from defecating on another person's private property, city property, or an unremoved mess on a swale. A first offense draws only a warning; a second or later offense costs $20 under § 91.99(A).

Key details: Applies to: Both cats and dogs while walked. Swale rule: No violation if waste removed. First offense: Warning only. Later offenses: $20 fine each. Tenants: Not excused by landlord owning the land.

Section 91.99(A) sets a graduated penalty just for § 91.01: a first offense gets only a warning, and on the second and subsequent offenses the fine is $20 per offense. That is lighter than the chapter's catch-all penalty in § 91.99(C), which sends any other unaddressed Chapter 91 violation to the citywide general penalty in § 10.99, up to a $500 fine or 90 days in jail.

Pembroke Pines is more permissive than most cities when it comes to cat rules. That said, there are still limits.

Exotic Pets

Pembroke Pines does not ban owning a wild or exotic animal outright. Section 91.04 instead makes it unlawful to use a bullhook, whip, electric prod, or similar device that causes unjustifiable pain on any wild or exotic animal, from big cats and primates to elephants and bears, within city limits.

Key details: Ownership: No blanket ban on wild/exotic pets. Banned conduct: Bullhooks, whips, electric prods on animal. Animals covered: Big cats, primates, elephants, bears, more. 'Use' includes: Just brandishing the device. Enforcement: City law/code officers issue citations.

A violation of § 91.04 is prosecuted as a city ordinance citation. An officer with probable cause may issue the citation directly under § 91.04(D)(2), and a conviction is punished under the general penalty in § 10.99: a fine of not more than $500, imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or both, since § 91.04 sets no separate fine of its own.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Pembroke Pines gives residents more flexibility on exotic pets.

Bird Protection

Section 91.02 declares the entire city a bird sanctuary and makes it unlawful to hunt, wound, injure, or kill any bird or related wildlife within city limits, or to capture one except for the animal's own health and welfare. The rule has stood since Ordinance 852 in 1987.

Key details: Declaration: Entire city is a bird sanctuary since 1987. Banned: Hunting, wounding, or killing birds/wildlife. Capture: Banned except for public health and welfare. Scope: Covers 'related wildlife,' not just birds. Penalty: Up to $500 fine or 90 days jail.

Section 91.02 carries no dedicated fine, so it falls to the Chapter 91 catch-all in § 91.99(C), which routes an unaddressed violation to the citywide general penalty in § 10.99: a fine of not more than $500, imprisonment for not more than 90 days, or both, with each day a violation continues counted as a separate offense.

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

Veterinary Clinic Zoning

Pembroke Pines confines veterinary clinics and animal hospitals to specific zoning districts under its Permitted Use Table. The use is allowed by right in Agriculture, Agriculture Excavation, Resource Recovery, Community Business (B-2), General Business (B-3), Commercial (C-1) and all three Industrial districts, but it is not a permitted use in any residential district, Professional Office, or Neighborhood Business (B-1).

Key details: Permitted districts: A, A-E, R-R, B-2, B-3, C-1, I-L, I-M, I-H. Not permitted: All residential districts, CF, REC, U, B-1, PO. Parking requirement: 3.5 spaces per 1,000 sq ft (§ 155.605). Governing table: § 155.501 Permitted Use Table. General penalty: Up to $500 fine or 90 days (§ 10.99).

Establishing or operating a veterinary clinic or animal hospital in a district where Table 155.501 leaves the cell blank, such as any residential district or Professional Office, is an unlawful use under §§ 155.542 and 155.543. Because Article 5 sets no specific fine for a use-table violation, the citywide general penalty in § 10.99 controls: up to $500, up to 90 days in jail, or both, with each day the violation continues charged as a separate offense under § 10.98(B).

Breed Restrictions

Pembroke Pines does not impose breed-specific legislation. Florida Statute 767.14 preempts local breed-specific bans except for Miami-Dade County's grandfathered pit bull ban.

Key details: Breed Bans: Prohibited by F.S. 767.14. Exception: Only Miami-Dade County (grandfathered). Dangerous Dog Law: F.S. 767.11-767.16. Requirements: Registration, confinement, insurance.

Owners of classified dangerous dogs who fail to comply face criminal charges, significant fines, and potential destruction of the animal.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Pembroke Pines gives residents more flexibility on breed restrictions.

Beekeeping

Beekeeping in Pembroke Pines is regulated under Florida's Beekeeping Act (F.S. 586). Beekeepers must register with the Florida Department of Agriculture and follow apiary best management practices.

Key details: Registration: Required with FDACS. State Law: F.S. Chapter 586. HOA Rules: May restrict beekeeping. Protection: Registered beekeepers have state protections.

Unregistered apiaries may face FDACS enforcement. Colonies creating documented nuisances may be ordered relocated.

Dog Leash Laws

Pembroke Pines Code § 91.15(B) declares dogs at large a public nuisance and bars letting any dog stray onto a public street, sidewalk, or park, or onto private property without the owner's consent. AT LARGE means off the owner's property and not under restraint or direct control, and each violation under § 91.99 costs $100.

Key details: Governing section: § 91.15(B), Dogs at Large. Penalty per occurrence: $100 under § 91.99(B). AT LARGE means: off owner's property, not restrained. Park access: only during a permitted event with control. Impoundment costs: owner pays all costs before release.

Section 91.99(B) sets a flat penalty of $100 for each occurrence of an offense under § 91.15, separate from the city's general fine schedule. An officer who finds a dog running at large can seize and impound it under § 91.15(B)(6), and the owner must pay all impoundment costs under § 91.14 before the dog is released, on top of any citation.

Wildlife Feeding

Pembroke Pines discourages feeding of free-roaming wildlife through general nuisance and animal control provisions in Chapter 91. Broward County also regulates wildlife interactions. Feeding wildlife that creates a public nuisance or health hazard can result in code violations. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) prohibits feeding certain species including alligators under FL Statute 379.

Key details: Alligator Feeding: Illegal (FL §379.3025). Nuisance Standard: Feeding creating hazards prohibited. Governing Code: Ch. 91 + FL Statute 379. Report Issues: Code Compliance 954-431-4466. State Agency: FWC regulates wildlife.

Creating a wildlife nuisance through feeding is a code violation. Feeding alligators is a state criminal offense under FL Statute 379.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Pembroke Pines gives residents more room on animal ordinances. 3 of the 9 rules here are rated permissive. But permissive does not mean unregulated. There are still requirements, and the city does enforce them when violations are reported.

All of the above reflects Pembroke Pines'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.