Animal Ordinances in Pinellas Park, FL

Pinellas Park maintains 21 local ordinances across all categories, and 4 of those deal specifically with animal ordinances. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Pinellas Park falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Pet Limits

Pinellas Park limits the keeping of multiple animals through nuisance and sanitation provisions in Chapter 5. Hoarding cases are prosecuted under Florida cruelty statutes (FS 828) when animals suffer from overcrowding, neglect, or inadequate care.

Key details: Hard pet cap: No fixed numerical limit. Sanitation rule: Sec. 5-206 requires clean conditions. State cruelty law: FS 828.12. Enforcement: County Animal Services. Penalty range: Misdemeanor to felony.

Hoarding cases trigger seizure of animals, code citations for nuisance and sanitation, misdemeanor or felony cruelty charges, and court-ordered counseling or ownership bans.

Wildlife Feeding

Pinellas County Code Section 14-30 prohibits feeding wild animals in a way that creates a public nuisance throughout Pinellas Park. Feeding bears, raccoons, coyotes, or feral cats that attracts wildlife or causes sanitation issues can result in citations.

Key details: County code: Sec. 14-30 (public nuisance). Bear/coyote feeding: Banned by FAC 68A-4.001. Cat colony food: Remove within 3 hours. Enforcement: County and FWC. First offense: Typically warning.

Code enforcement issues a written warning first; continued violations can lead to civil citations, daily fines, and FWC charges for feeding protected species.

Beekeeping

Beekeeping in Pinellas Park is governed by Florida law, not local ordinance. FS 586.10 preempts municipal regulation of managed honeybee colonies; the Florida Department of Agriculture handles registration, inspection, and placement rules.

Key details: Local rules: Preempted by state. Statute: FS 586.10(1). Regulator: Florida Dept. of Agriculture. Registration: Required annually with FDACS. Inspection authority: State, not city.

State enforcement focuses on unregistered hives, Africanized colonies, and BMP violations. FDACS may order requeening, relocation, or destruction of nuisance colonies under Chapter 586.

If you are coming from a city with tighter rules, you will find Pinellas Park gives residents more flexibility on beekeeping.

Breed Restrictions

Pinellas Park cannot adopt breed-specific dog regulations. Florida Statute 767.14, amended in 2023, preempts local governments from enacting any rules that target dogs by breed, weight, or size. Behavior-based dangerous-dog laws still apply.

Key details: Breed bans: Prohibited statewide since 2023. Governing statute: FS 767.14. Behavior-based rules: Still permitted. Dangerous dog statute: FS Chapter 767 Part II. Local authority: Cannot regulate by breed.

Because breed bans are preempted, no local breed violations exist; however, owners of dogs declared dangerous under FS 767 face strict confinement, signage, insurance, and registration duties.

Pinellas Park is more permissive than most cities when it comes to breed restrictions. That said, there are still limits.

The Bottom Line

Compared to many U.S. cities, Pinellas Park gives residents more room on animal ordinances. 2 of the 4 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 Pinellas Park'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.