Animal Ordinances in Monroe County, FL (2026)
10 rules for unincorporated Monroe County, Florida.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Chickens, ducks, geese and other livestock cannot be kept, penned or loose, anywhere in unincorporated Monroe County unless the county permits it. Keeping livestock, other than a personal-use horse, is allowed only on land with an approved agricultural use inside a zoning district that permits agriculture.
Backyard Chickens & Livestock Rule, Monroe County
Significant RestrictionsMonroe County Code § 4-76(a)
No livestock, as defined in section 4-1, or barnyard animals such as chickens, ducks or geese, shall be kept either penned or loose in any area unless permitted by the county. Animals considered wild shall not be kept in any residential area in the county. Horses kept for police purposes are exempt from the minimum land requirements of this section.
Dog Leash Laws
In unincorporated Monroe County, a dog may not run at large on public property or on someone else's private property without permission, and a diseased dog can never be allowed to run at large. A dog under an owner's close supervision, or engaged in an organized exhibition, trial, or legal sport, isn't treated as at large.
Dogs Running at Large Ban, Monroe County
Some RestrictionsMonroe County Code § 4-67(a)
No owner or keeper of an animal, other than a domestic cat, shall allow the animal to run at large on any public property or on any private property of another without permission of the property owner. Any animal under the close supervision of its owner or keeper or otherwise engaged in an organized animal exhibition, field trial, competition, legal sport or training for these activities, shall...
Breed Restrictions
Monroe County has no breed-specific bans; instead a dog is regulated as "dangerous" based on its behavior, such as unprovoked bites, attacks, or dog-fighting use. Once the animal control supervisor declares a dog dangerous, its owner must secure, restrain or confine it exactly as ordered, or face enforcement action in the unincorporated Keys.
Dangerous Dog Declaration Rules, Monroe County
Significant RestrictionsMonroe County Code §§ 4-1, 4-67(b)
Dangerous dog means any dog that according to the records of the appropriate authority: (1)Has aggressively bitten, attacked, or endangered or has inflicted severe injury on a human being on public or private property;(2)Has more than once severely injured or killed a domestic animal while off the owner's property;(3)Has been used primarily or in part for the purpose of dog fighting or is a dog...
Beekeeping
In the unincorporated Florida Keys (Monroe County), beekeeping is listed as a permitted-by-right use in the Suburban Residential, Suburban Residential (Limited), Native Area, Mainland Native Area, and Offshore Island zoning districts, with no special use permit or conditional-use review required under Land Development Code Section 130-94.
Monroe County Beekeeping Permitted By Right
Few RestrictionsMonroe County Land Development Code § 130-94
(a)The following uses are permitted as of right in the suburban residential district:(1)Detached dwellings;(2)Parks, excluding tennis courts and swimming pools;(3)Beekeeping;(4)Home occupations—Special use permit required;(5)Accessory uses;(6)Vacation rental use if a special vacation rental permit is obtained under the regulations established in section 134-1;
Exotic Pets
In the unincorporated Florida Keys (Monroe County), keeping a wild animal is banned outright unless you run a zoo, licensed exhibition or circus. A wild or exotic pet crossbreed also demands a state permit, zoning compliance and adequate public restraint under Section 4-76.
Wild and Exotic Animal Permits, Monroe County
Significant RestrictionsMonroe County Code § 4-76(b)
(b)Wild animals.(1)No person, partnership or corporation shall possess or harbor any wild animal. This prohibition does not apply to zoological parks, properly licensed transient animal exhibitions, circuses, or licensed veterinarians or DNRDEP-licensed caregivers to wild animals.(2)Anyone in possession of a wild, or exotic animal, as defined and regulated by federal or state statutes, or a cro...
Wildlife Feeding
In the unincorporated Florida Keys (Monroe County), Section 12-119 of the County Code makes it unlawful to feed raccoons, opossums and other wild animals within the sea-turtle nesting protection zone, and bars predatory pets from roaming loose there during nesting season, to keep the Keys' turtle nests and hatchlings safe from wildlife predation.
Feeding Wildlife Near Turtle Nests, Monroe County
Significant RestrictionsMonroe County Code §§ 12-119, 12-120
(a)No predatory pets or pets likely to have a potential for being disruptive or damaging to nesting turtles, hatchlings, or nests shall be allowed to roam loose and unsupervised within the jurisdictional boundaries during the nesting season. Such pets include, but are not limited to, dogs, cats, snakes, lizards or iguanas, ferrets and pigs.(b)Feeding of raccoons, opossums and other wild animals...
Pet Limits
In the unincorporated Florida Keys (Monroe County), there is no cap on the number of dogs, cats or ferrets you can keep. Section 4-77 only requires them to be licensed, vaccinated, housed properly and kept from becoming a nuisance to neighbors.
How Many Pets You Can Own, Monroe County
Few RestrictionsMonroe County Code § 4-77
(a)The number of dogs, cats, and ferrets is not restricted so long as animals are properly licensed, vaccinated, housed and cared for, do not cause a nuisance, and other housing or association rules are complied with.(b)Any number of birds may be kept so long as they are adequately and humanely cared for, their noise does not reasonably intrude into the domain of other persons, and their keepin...
Cat Rules
An unrestrained cat found roaming without an owner present or an identifying license tag can be judged feral by a Monroe County animal control officer and impounded. Once impounded, the animal control supervisor may hold a suspected feral cat for only 72 hours, far short of the normal five-day claim period, before euthanizing it if it is confirmed feral.
Feral Cat Handling Rules, Monroe County
Some RestrictionsMonroe County Code §§ 4-38(f)(1), 4-42(d)
As to any cat found roaming or wandering on public property or private property other than that of its owner, that is unrestrained, without its owner immediately and visibly present in such area and without an identifying license tag, the animal control officer, after reasonable investigation, shall be vested with discretion to conclude that such cat is feral or abandoned by its owner and may s...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Monroe County requires every dog, cat, and rabbit six months or older to be spayed or neutered unless the owner buys an exemption license. Owners who want to keep an intact pet must get an annual $35.00 exemption license from county animal control for each animal.
Mandatory Spay/Neuter Rule, Monroe County
Significant RestrictionsMonroe County Code § 4-69(a)-(b)
(a)Required spay and neutering. No person in the county shall own, possess, or have control or custody of a dog, cat, or rabbit six months of age or older that is not spayed or neutered except for those animals for which an exemption license has been issued.(b)Licensed exemptions. Owners and keepers of dogs, cats and rabbits who do not want their animals spayed or neutered, regardless of the re...
Microchipping
In the unincorporated Florida Keys (Monroe County), pets generally don't need a microchip, but a dog once declared dangerous must be. Section 4-81(t)(5) requires the animal control supervisor to receive the chip number and registry before the dog can be kept at all.
Microchip Mandate for Dangerous Dogs, Monroe County
Some RestrictionsMonroe County Code § 4-81(t)
(t)Dangerous dog care. Every dangerous dog shall be:(1)Confined by its owner within a building or secure enclosure. A clearly visible warning sign informing the public of the presence of a dangerous dog on the property shall be posted;(2)Securely muzzled or caged whenever off the premises of its owner;(3)Vaccinated in accordance with section 4-64 of this chapter;(4)Sterilized; and(5)Implanted w...
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