Animal Ordinances in Homestead, FL (2026)
12 verified animal ordinances for Homestead, Florida, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
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.
Homestead Livestock Regulations
Some RestrictionsFla. Stat. 823.14
823.14 Florida Right to Farm Act. — (1) SHORT TITLE. — This section shall be known and may be cited as the "Florida Right to Farm Act." [...] (3) DEFINITIONS. [...] (d) "Farm operation" means all conditions or activities by the owner, lessee, agent, independent contractor, or supplier which occur on a farm in connection with the production of farm, honeybee, or apiculture products or in connect...
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.
Homestead Dog Leash Laws
Some RestrictionsMiami-Dade Animal Services — Regulations (Leash Law / Dog License / Dangerous Dogs)
Leash Law: When a dog goes off private property, it must be leashed at all times. Dogs are not permitted to roam free off private property. [...] Dog License: License tags are required for all dogs. Tags must be renewed one year from the last date of purchase. It's the law. [...] Dangerous Dogs Registry: An owner whose dog has been declared dangerous must register the dog with Animal Services w...
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.
Homestead Pit Bull Ban (Miami-Dade County)
Heavy RestrictionsFla. Stat. § 767.14
breed, weight, or size and that the provisions of this act are not lessened by such additional regulations or requirements. History. — s. 5, ch. 90-180; s. 5, ch. 2016-16; s. 1, ch. 2023-253. Home Senators Senator List Find Your Legislators District Maps Vote Disclosures Committees Committee List Committee Publications Search Bill Search Tips Statute Search Tips Site Search Tips Session Bills C...
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.
Homestead Beekeeping Rules
Few RestrictionsFla. Stat. Chapter 586
— (1) The authority to regulate, inspect, and permit managed honeybee colonies and to adopt rules on the placement and location of registered inspected managed honeybee colonies is preempted to the state through the department and supersedes any related ordinance adopted by a county, municipality, or political subdivision thereof. (2) The department shall: (a) Administer and enforce this chapte...
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.
Homestead Wild Animal & Reptile Permit Rule
Significant RestrictionsCity of Homestead Code of Ordinances § 4-14
It shall be unlawful for any person or persons to keep any wild animal or reptile without first complying with the provisions of F.S. chapter 372 and all regulations promulgated by the Florida Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission.
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.
Homestead Wildlife Feeding Restrictions
Some RestrictionsFla. Stat. § 379.412
Animals held in captivity; 2. Restricting the taking or hunting of species over bait or intentionally placed or deposited food; or 3. Restricting the taking or hunting of species in proximity to feeding stations. (2) A person who violates a prohibition or restriction identified in subsection (1): (a) For a first violation, commits a noncriminal infraction, punishable by a civil penalty of $100....
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.
Homestead Dog Kennel Permit Trigger Rule
Significant RestrictionsCity of Homestead Code of Ordinances § 4-90
(a)The provisions of Chapter 5 entitled "Animals and Fowl" of the Miami-Dade County Code pertaining to the definitions of uses which shall constitute a kennel for purposes of regulation, are hereby adopted and incorporated by reference.(b)Should the code compliance department of the city make a determination that dogs being kept on any property within the city meet the definition of a kennel in...
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.
Homestead Cat Vaccination & Registration Rules
Some RestrictionsCity of Homestead Code of Ordinances §§ 4-107, 4-109
Every person who owns and harbors any cat over the age of four (4) months in the county shall have the cat vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian of his choice. Evidence of vaccination shall consist of an official county certificate prescribed for this purpose by the animal control division and signed by the licensed veterinarian administering the vaccine. ... Registration of cats...
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.
Homestead Retail Pet Store Dog & Cat Ban
Heavy RestrictionsCity of Homestead Code of Ordinances §§ 4-122, 4-124
No pet store shall display, sell, deliver, offer for sale, barter, auction, give away, or otherwise transfer or dispose of dogs or cats in the city on or after the effective date of this section. ... This division shall not apply to: (a)A person or establishment that sells, delivers, offers for sale, barters, auctions, gives away, or otherwise transfers or disposes of only animals that were bre...
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.
Homestead Pet Grooming Business Tax Rule
Some RestrictionsHomestead City Code § 16-40
(a)The various businesses, occupations and professions within the city are hereby classified for the purpose of this article, along with related incidental businesses, and assessments of local business taxes are hereby fixed, as follows: LOCAL BUSINESS TAX Code Description Tax 07520 Animal boarding 145.00 07521 Animal boarding with another business 17.00 07522 Animal grooming 87.00 07523 Animal...
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.
Homestead Veterinary Clinic Zoning Rules
Some RestrictionsCity of Homestead Code § 30-276(b)(15), (24)
(15)Dog and pet hospitals in air conditioned buildings (boarding of animals is not permitted);...(24)Pet shops and dog beauty parlors in air conditioned buildings (no overnight boarding of animals permitted);
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.
Homestead Bird Sanctuary & Wild Bird Protection Rule
Heavy RestrictionsCity of Homestead Code of Ordinances §§ 4-3, 4-4
The entire area embraced within the city is hereby designated as a bird sanctuary. ... It shall be unlawful to trap, shoot, hunt or attempt to shoot or molest in any manner any bird or wild fowl, or to rob bird nests or wild fowl nests; provided, that if birds are found to be congregating in such numbers in a particular locality that they constitute a nuisance or a menace to health or property,...
Looking for Miami-Dade County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Homestead city rules.
Animal Ordinances in Miami-Dade County →