Animal Ordinances in Jacksonville Beach, FL (2026)
9 verified animal ordinances for Jacksonville Beach, Florida, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Jacksonville Beach prohibits livestock outright but permits up to five backyard hens on a permit. Code § 5-81 bars roosters and all other fowl, and requires a pen of at least ten square feet per hen and a coop of at least three square feet per hen.
Jacksonville Beach Backyard Hens and Livestock Rules
Significant RestrictionsJacksonville Beach Code § 5-81
(1) The maximum number of hens permitted on any property shall be five. ... (4) Hens shall not be kept on any property without a properly issued permit authorizing such use. ... (10) Under no circumstances shall ducks, geese, turkeys, peafowl, pheasants, quail, peacocks, male chickens, or any other poultry or fowl other than hens be kept on any property. (11) The following improvements are requ...
Dog Leash Laws
A dog in Jacksonville Beach cannot be off its owner's property unless it is on a leash of dependable strength not longer than eight feet. The leash must be held by a person capable of controlling the dog or attached to a fixed object with the owner present. The only off-leash exception in § 5-40 is Paws Dog Park, where the owner stays within voice and eye contact.
Jacksonville Beach Dog Leash and Running at Large Law
Some RestrictionsJacksonville Beach Code § 5-40
(1) No dog shall be allowed off the property of its owner unless the dog is fastened to a suitable leash of dependable strength not to exceed eight feet in length within the city. Such leash must be attached to a fixed object or specifically held by a person capable of controlling the animal. If an animal is attached to a fixed object, the owner or person in custody of animal must be with the a...
Breed Restrictions
Chapter 5 of the Jacksonville Beach Code names no restricted breed. A dog is classified as dangerous by what it has done, through an animal control officer's investigation and a hearing before the city's special magistrate. After a final order, the owner has 14 days to register the dog, pays an annual fee of $50.00, and must keep the dog in a proper enclosure.
Jacksonville Beach Dangerous Dog Designation Rules
Significant RestrictionsJacksonville Beach Code § 5-30
(1) An ACO shall investigate reported incidents involving any dog that may be dangerous and, if possible, shall interview the owner and require a sworn affidavit from any person, including any ACO or LEO, desiring to have a dog classified as dangerous. ... (3) After the investigation, the ACO shall make an initial determination as to whether there is sufficient cause to classify the dog as dang...
Pet Limits
Jacksonville Beach caps household pets at three animals over six months in age, and Code § 34-716(b) treats the keeping of four or more dogs six months of age or older as a kennel. Hens carry their own limit of five where permitted, and Chapter 5 requires a permit to keep them.
Jacksonville Beach Household Pet Limit and Kennel Rule
Some RestrictionsJacksonville Beach Code § 34-716(b)
(b) Household pets. Household pets, like cats, dogs, hamsters, or birds, along with related doghouses and pens, are a permitted accessory use to residential uses in all zoning districts, provided the number of such pets over six (6) months in age shall not exceed three (3), and the keeping of four (4) or more dogs, six (6) months of age or older, shall be considered a kennel. Hens as household ...
Cat Rules
Jacksonville Beach regulates free-roaming cats through the community cat provision in § 5-35(2). A managed colony must sit on the caregiver's private property or on another landowner's property with permission, and each cat must be sterilized, vaccinated against rabies and ear-tipped. Cats that meet those terms are exempt from licensing, stray and at-large rules, and caregivers owe regular food and medical care.
Jacksonville Beach Community Cat and Cat Feeding Rules
Some RestrictionsJacksonville Beach Code § 5-35
(2) Community cat management initiatives. ... a. All managed community cat colonies/groups must be maintained on private property of the caregiver or with permission on the private property of another landowner (including city, state, and federal public property). b. All cats that are part of community cat management programs or considered feral must be sterilized, vaccinated against the threat...
Microchipping
Jacksonville Beach does not order owners to microchip a pet, but its animal code gives the chip legal weight. Under Code § 5-2, a name registered to an animal's RFID chip carries a rebuttable presumption of ownership, and a chip with registration information is the primary indication of ownership.
Jacksonville Beach Microchip and Pet Ownership Rules
Light RestrictionsJacksonville Beach Code § 5-2
There shall be a rebuttable presumption that the person's name appearing on the animal's registration or radio frequency identification device (RFID), commonly known as a "microchip," is the owner. ... Radio frequency identification device ("RFID"), commonly referred to as a "microchip," is a device about the size of a grain of rice encased in surgical glass that is implanted underneath the ski...
Pet Store Rules
Effective August 17, 2015, no pet dealer, pet store or pet store operator in Jacksonville Beach can display, sell, trade, barter, rent, auction or give away dogs and cats. Pet mills are prohibited outright. Animal shelters, rescue organizations, veterinarians and hobby breeders are exempt, and stores can still sell animals other than cats or dogs. Fines run $250.00 per day per animal for a first violation.
Jacksonville Beach Pet Store Dog and Cat Sales Ban
Significant RestrictionsJacksonville Beach Code § 5-42
(1) Prohibition. a. Retail sales restricted. Effective August 17, 2015, no pet dealer, pet store, or pet store operator shall display, sell, trade, deliver, barter, lease, rent, auction, transfer, offer for sale or transfer, give away or otherwise dispose of dogs and cats in the city except as provided in this section on or after the effective date of this section. b. Pet mills prohibited. No p...
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Jacksonville Beach permits veterinary services and kennels as of right in the C-2 commercial general district, provided animals are housed in enclosed, soundproof buildings per the Florida Building Code. The CS district carries the same condition, and C-1 lists only veterinary services for animal specialties. Developments over 50,000 square feet of gross floor area need PUD approval.
Veterinary Clinic Zoning in Jacksonville Beach
Some RestrictionsJacksonville Beach Code § 34-618(b)(1)
(b) Permitted uses. The following uses, not to exceed fifty thousand (50,000) square feet in gross floor area for single or multiple use buildings or developments, are permitted as of right in the C-2 zoning district. Buildings or developments containing single or multiple uses listed herein and which exceed fifty thousand (50,000) square feet in gross floor area shall only be approved pursuant...
Bird Protection
All of Jacksonville Beach inside the corporate limits is a designated bird sanctuary under § 5-3. Trapping, hunting, shooting at or molesting any bird, and robbing birds' nests, is a violation. The city authorities can destroy birds only when they congregate in numbers that make a nuisance or a menace to health or property, and violations are reported to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.
Jacksonville Beach Bird Sanctuary Ordinance
Some RestrictionsJacksonville Beach Code § 5-3
(1) The entire area embraced within the corporate limits of the city is hereby designated as a bird sanctuary. The city manager is authorized to have the city so designated by appropriate signs. (2) It shall be a violation to trap, hunt, or attempt to shoot or molest in any manner any bird or to rob birds' nests; provided, however, if any birds are found to be congregating in such numbers in a ...