Business Licensing & Operations in Miami-Dade County, FL (2026)
8 county-level rules, plus city-specific rules for 6 cities in Miami-Dade County, Florida.
Verified from official government sources
Adult Entertainment
Miami-Dade County confines adult bookstores, theaters, entertainment clubs and video stores to the IU-1 industrial zone in unincorporated Miami-Dade, with 1,000, 1,200 and 750-foot buffers from schools, churches, parks, libraries, daycares, other adult uses and residential zoning.
Miami-Dade Adult Business Zoning & Spacing
Significant RestrictionsMiami-Dade County Code § 33-259.1
Unless approved as a special exception, none of the uses set forth in Subsection 33.259.1(c) shall be permitted (i) within one thousand (1,000) feet of a private school...public school, church, public park, public library, day care center or nursery for children; (ii) within one thousand two hundred (1,200) feet of any of the uses described in Subsection 33.259.1(c); and (iii) within seven hund...
Massage Establishments
Miami-Dade County requires massage establishments to hold a Local Business Tax Receipt, taxed at $30 plus $3 per employee above ten, before operating anywhere in the county.
Miami-Dade Massage Establishment License Required
Some RestrictionsMiami-Dade County Code § 8A-171
No person shall engage in or manage any business, profession or occupation in Miami-Dade County for which a local business tax is required by this article without first obtaining the required license or licenses from the County Tax Collector.
Tattoo & Body Modification
It's illegal to tattoo a minor anywhere in Miami-Dade County unless a parent or guardian gives written consent first: a decades-old countywide ordinance still on the books for tattoo studios and artists.
Miami-Dade County Tattoo Consent for Minors
Some RestrictionsMiami-Dade County Code § 21-9
It shall be unlawful for any person to tattoo any minor in the County unless the parent, guardian, or other person having charge and custody of the minor shall first have given his or her written consent to the tattooing.
Tobacco Retail License
Miami-Dade County bans self-service display of e-cigarettes and other nicotine dispensing devices at retail, requiring vendor-assisted sales unless the store restricts entry to adults 18 and older.
Miami-Dade Vape Self-Service Sales Ban
Some RestrictionsMiami-Dade County Code § 8A-8.3
No person, business, tobacco retailer, or other establishment subject to Sections 8A-8—8A-8.4 shall sell, permit to be sold, offer for sale, or display for sale any tobacco products, any flavored tobacco product or any electronic cigarette or other nicotine dispensing device by means of self-service merchandising or any other means other than vendor-assisted sales unless access to the premises ...
Secondhand Dealers
Junk dealers and scrap metal processors must pay a county business tax, keep detailed purchase records, and complete Miami-Dade Police Department training before the county will issue or renew their permit.
Miami-Dade Junk Dealer & Scrap Licensing
Some RestrictionsMiami-Dade County Code § 8A-9.6
This ordinance shall apply to and be enforced in both the incorporated areas and unincorporated areas of Miami-Dade County. ... Every junk dealer and scrap metal processor shall receive training from the Miami-Dade Police Department on the requirements of the Junk Dealers and Scrap Metal Processors Ordinance ... No permit under Section 15-17 of this Code shall be issued or renewed to a junk dea...
Pawnbrokers
Pawnbrokers countywide must hold a $300 local business tax receipt, keep a full transaction ledger, and report monthly to police.
Pawnbroker Licensing in Miami-Dade
Some RestrictionsMiami-Dade County Code § 8A-209
Every person engaged in the business of pawnbroker shall pay a local business tax as provided for in the schedule of taxes, Section 8A-223.1. ... Pawnbrokers shall keep a complete and true record of all transactions, showing from whom each article of their stock was purchased or pledged, the date of the transaction and the date and to whom each article was sold, which record shall at all times ...
Auto Repair on Residential Property
In unincorporated Miami-Dade (UMSA), you can only fix your own car at home, in daylight, and only minor work finished within 72 hours.
Home Auto Repair Limits in Miami-Dade
Some RestrictionsMiami-Dade County Code § 33-15(b)
In residential zoning districts, a property owner or tenant on improved property having a principal building may repair or otherwise put into operative condition an automobile of his property, only if all of the following requirements are met: (1) The property owner or tenant owns the automobile being repaired; (2) The repair activity takes places only during daylight hours; (3) While under rep...
Towing Companies
Tow truck operators working in unincorporated Miami-Dade must obtain a Wrecker Operator Permit from the Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources under Chapter 30A, and rates are capped on the county's published tow rate schedule.
Tow Truck Operator Permits
Heavy RestrictionsFla. Stat. § 715.07(2)(a)1.a.
The owner or lessee of real property, or any person authorized by the owner or lessee, which person may be the designated representative of the condominium association if the real property is a condominium, may cause any vehicle or vessel parked on such property without her or his permission to be removed by a person regularly engaged in the business of towing vehicles or vessels... Any towed o...
Business Licensing & Operations by City in Miami-Dade County
6 cities in Miami-Dade County have their own business licensing & operations rules. Each link goes to that city's dedicated page with code citations.
6 verified rules • Adult Entertainment, Massage Establishments
6 verified rules • Adult Entertainment, Pawnbrokers
5 verified rules • Adult Entertainment, Pawnbrokers
5 verified rules • Adult Entertainment, Massage Establishments
8 verified rules • Adult Entertainment, Auto Repair on Residential Property
7 verified rules • Adult Entertainment, Massage Establishments
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