Animal Ordinances in Tallahassee, FL (2026)
10 verified animal ordinances for Tallahassee, Florida, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Tallahassee bans keeping livestock or fowl inside city limits under Section 4-5, but carves out a hen exception: non-commercial hens are legal if confined to a secure pen at least 20 feet from any neighboring dwelling, and one rooster may live with them for flock sustainability. Larger parcels and permitted exhibitions have separate carve-outs.
Tallahassee Backyard Chicken and Livestock Rules
Significant RestrictionsTallahassee Code of General Ordinances § 4-5
(a)Prohibited. Except as otherwise provided in this chapter, it shall be unlawful for any person to keep within the city any livestock or fowl. ... (d)Exceptions. This shall not apply to: ... (2)The keeping of female chickens (hens) for non-commercial purposes so long as they are confined in a securely enclosed yard or pen at all times and are kept no closer than 20 feet to neighboring dwelling...
Dog Leash Laws
Tallahassee requires every dog to be under its owner's direct control at all times, on or off the owner's property, under Section 4-103 of the Code of General Ordinances. Direct control means an effective leash, secure fence, kennel or crate; voice control only counts for certified working dogs actively performing tasks.
Tallahassee Dog At-Large and Restraint Law
Some RestrictionsTallahassee Code of General Ordinances §§ 4-2, 4-103(a), (b)
At large means any animal, other than a dog, that is off the premises of the owner, while not under the supervision and control of the owner, or, in the case of dogs, any dog that is not at all times, whether on or off the premises of the owner, under the direct control of the owner. ... (a)The owner or custodian of an animal shall prevent such animal from running or remaining at large on any p...
Breed Restrictions
Tallahassee's animal chapter regulates dogs by behavior, and no breed-specific provision appears anywhere in it. A dog that bites, attacks or menaces can be classified dangerous, which triggers strict confinement, insurance and registration duties.
Dog Breed Rules and Dangerous Dogs in Tallahassee
Few RestrictionsCode of Ordinances § 4-2 (definitions), §§ 4-141, 4-144, 4-145, 4-148, 4-149, 4-52
767.14 Additional local restrictions authorized. - This act does not limit any local government or public housing authority from adopting an ordinance or a policy, respectively, to address the safety and welfare concerns caused by attacks on persons or domestic animals; placing further restrictions or additional requirements on owners of dogs that have bitten or attacked persons or domestic ani...
Wildlife Feeding
Feeding or harboring an unsterilized, unvaccinated feral cat or dog is unlawful in Tallahassee under Section 4-105 of the Code of General Ordinances. The ban does not reach deer or geese, since the chapter defines a feral animal only as a wild cat or dog, but it does cover unmanaged community cat colonies.
Tallahassee Ban on Feeding Feral Animals
Significant RestrictionsTallahassee Code of General Ordinances § 4-105
(a)Prohibited. Feral animals that have not been spayed or neutered and vaccinated against the rabies virus may constitute health and environmental risks to domesticated animals, wildlife, and persons. It is a violation of this section for any person to feed or harbor feral animals.(b)Violations. Any person found in violation of this section shall be fined.(c)Exceptions.(1)A person may feed or h...
Pet Limits
Tallahassee names no number cap, but section 4-10(c) forbids keeping more animals at your property than can be properly maintained in a healthy condition. Odor, flies and vermin from animals are separately a public nuisance.
Tallahassee Animal Hoarding Rule: Care Capacity Limit
Heavy RestrictionsTallahassee Code of Ordinances § 4-10 (Animal nuisances); § 4-7 (Animal care); § 4-52(c) (Schedule of fines); § 4-76 (Animals to be impounded)
828.12 Cruelty to animals. - (1) A person who unnecessarily overloads, overdrives, torments, deprives of necessary sustenance or shelter, or unnecessarily mutilates, or kills any animal, or causes the same to be done, or carries in or upon any vehicle, or otherwise, any animal in a cruel or inhumane manner, commits animal cruelty, a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. ...
Cat Rules
Tallahassee lets the mayor declare a rabies quarantine that requires every dog and cat to stay confined, and Section 4-102 authorizes police to kill any cat found unconfined during that quarantine. Outside a quarantine, Section 4-103(e) exempts spayed, neutered, microchipped cats and ear-tipped community cats from the city's at-large rule.
Tallahassee Cat Quarantine and Community Cat Rules
Some RestrictionsTallahassee Code of General Ordinances §§ 4-102, 4-103(e)
During the period of confinement or quarantine provided for in section 4-101, it shall be unlawful for the owner of any dog or cat in the city to allow such dog or cat out of effective confinement or quarantine ... During the period of such quarantines, any sworn law enforcement officer is hereby authorized and empowered to kill any dog or cat found running at large in the city, or found not ef...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
An animal reclaimed from Tallahassee Animal Services a second time must be spayed or neutered within 30 days, at the owner's expense, under Section 4-79(e) of the Code of General Ordinances. Animal Services can require a deposit before release, refunded once proof of the surgery is provided.
Tallahassee Mandatory Spay/Neuter on Reclaim
Some RestrictionsTallahassee Code of General Ordinances § 4-79(e)
(e)All animals that are reclaimed from the shelter, upon the second offense shall be spayed or neutered within 30 days of reclaim. The costs of spaying or neutering shall be the responsibility of the owner. A deposit may be required prior to release of the animal to the owner. The deposit will be refunded after receipt of proof of spay or neuter in a manner and time frame determined by city pol...
Microchipping
Any pet reclaimed from a Tallahassee Animal Services impoundment must be implanted with a microchip before it goes home, under Section 4-79(d) of the Code of General Ordinances. The owner pays the microchip cost at redemption, and repeat offenders face a mandatory spay-or-neuter requirement on top of it.
Tallahassee Shelter Reclaim Microchip Requirement
Some RestrictionsTallahassee Code of General Ordinances § 4-79(d)
(d)All animals that are reclaimed from the shelter shall be implanted with a microchip. The cost of the microchip may be assessed to the owner at the time the animal is redeemed.
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Tallahassee's Land Development Code lists veterinary services and animal hospitals as a principal permitted use in a wide range of zoning districts, from the Rural District's agricultural areas to the CU-18 and CU-26 Central Urban Districts. In the Mahan Corridor Node (MCN) district, that permission narrows: veterinary services are allowed only as animal hospitals "without outside kennel services."
Where Tallahassee Zoning Allows Vet Clinics
Some RestrictionsTallahassee Land Development Code § 10-269
PERMITTED, PROHIBITED, AND CONDITIONAL USES 3. Principal Uses ... 38. Veterinary services including animal hospitals without outside kennel services; and 39. Other uses, which in the opinion of the land use administrator, are of a similar and compatible nature to those uses described in this district and which comply with standards for noise and lighting set out herein.
Bird Protection
Tallahassee's parks code makes it unlawful to kill, injure, harm, capture, chase, poison, or remove any wildlife, animal, bird, or egg on park grounds. Code of General Ordinances § 13-34(b)(3)-(4) also bars hunting, trapping, feeding, or pursuing wildlife in a park unless the parks director specifically authorizes it.
Tallahassee Bans Harming Birds and Wildlife in Parks
Heavy RestrictionsTallahassee Code of General Ordinances § 13-34(b)(3), (4)
It shall be unlawful for any person to do one or more of the following in a park or recreational facility owned, managed, maintained, or controlled by the city:...(3)Kill, injure, harm, capture, chase, poison or remove any wildlife, animal, bird or egg located above, in, on or under park grounds.(4)Hunt, trap, feed, or pursue wildlife of any kind except as authorized by the director....Violatio...
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