Animal Ordinances in Nassau County, FL (2026)
10 rules for unincorporated Nassau County, Florida.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Land Development Code Section 22.01 lets landowners in the Open Rural (OR) zoning district keep farm animals and poultry by right, but any coop, barn or pen must sit at least 100 feet from every property line. Goats, sheep and swine need 200 feet of separation from a neighbor's residence, and horses are capped at one per half-acre with their own setback rules.
Keeping Poultry and Livestock in Rural Nassau County
Some RestrictionsNassau County Land Development Code § 22.01
ARTICLE 22. - OPEN RURAL: OR ... Section 22.01. - Permitted uses and structures. (A)Agricultural, horticultural and forestry uses, also the keeping and raising of farm animals and poultry, provided structures for same shall not be located within one hundred (100) feet of any property line; and, further, provided that goats, sheep, or swine shall not be kept or permitted within two hundred (200)...
Dog Leash Laws
In unincorporated Nassau County every dog must be kept under restraint at all times under Sec. 6-45, meaning secured by a leash under a handler's control or confined within the owner's property line. Owners must keep dogs from becoming a public nuisance, and any dog running loose outside those limits is an animal-at-large subject to impoundment by Animal Control.
Nassau County Dog Restraint and Leash Rule
Some RestrictionsNassau County Code §§ 6-40, 6-45(a)-(b)
Restraint means any animal secured by a leash or lead under the control of a responsible person and obedient to that person's commands, or within the real property limits of its owner. However, a hunting dog shall not be considered to be at large when he is found to be within a designated hunting area. ... (a)All animals shall be kept under restraint. However, a hunting dog shall not be conside...
Breed Restrictions
Nassau County does not restrict any dog breed by name; instead Sec. 6-47 adopts Florida's dangerous-dog statutes and lays out the county's own hearing and appeal process for classifying an individual dog as dangerous based on its behavior. Animal Control investigates, a written sufficient-cause notice starts a seven-day window to request a hearing, and the classification can be appealed to county court.
Nassau County Dangerous Dog Classification Rules
Some RestrictionsNassau County Code § 6-47(a)-(b)
(a)The provisions of F.S §§ 767.10—767.16, or their successor, which apply to dangerous dogs, are hereby adopted by reference.(b)The purpose of this section is to implement the above statutes within the county by establishing hearing and appeal procedures pertaining to the classification of a dog as a dangerous dog and conforming to the statute.
Exotic Pets
In unincorporated Nassau County, keeping a wild or vicious animal as a pet is illegal outright. County Code Section 6-55 bars anyone from owning, possessing or keeping a wild or vicious animal for display, training, exhibition or as a pet, with no residential exception carved out. Only AAZPA-accredited facilities are excluded, and Animal Services enforces the ban.
Nassau County Bans Wild Animals as Pets
Heavy RestrictionsNassau County Code § 6-55
Wild animal means any living member of the animal kingdom, including those born or raised in captivity, except the following: human beings, domestic dogs (excluding hybrids with wolves, coyotes or jackals), domestic cats (excluding hybrids with ocelots or margays), farm animals, rodents, any hybrid animal that is part wild, and captive-bred species of common cage birds. ... Sec. ... 6-55. - Kee...
Cat Rules
Every cat four months or older in unincorporated Nassau County must carry a county rabies license under Sec. 6-42, issued by a veterinarian or Animal Control after proof of a current rabies vaccination. Owners pay $23.00 for an unaltered cat or $10.00 for a spayed or neutered one, and must apply within thirty days of acquiring the cat.
Nassau County Cat Licensing Requirements
Some RestrictionsNassau County Code § 6-42
(a)Any person owning, keeping, harboring, or having custody of a dog, cat, or ferret four (4) months of age or older within this county must secure a county license from a veterinarian or from the county animal control facility and, as a part of such license, shall show proof of a current rabies vaccination which shall have been administered by a veterinarian. ... (n)A license shall be issued a...
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Nassau County does not require every owned pet to be spayed or neutered, but Code Section 6-59 makes sterilization mandatory before an animal leaves the county's animal control facility. Adult dogs and cats must already be sterilized to be adopted, and adopters of puppies and kittens must sign a written pledge to sterilize by a set date, backed by a $100 deposit per animal.
Nassau County Shelter Adoption Sterilization Rule
Light RestrictionsNassau County Code § 6-59
No unclaimed adult dog or cat shall be released for adoption without being sterilized. No pups or kittens shall be released for adoption without the written agreement signed by the adopter guaranteeing sterilization by a specified date. A deposit of one hundred dollars ($100.00) for each pup or kitten must be paid at the time of adoption and will be repaid upon presentation of proof of steriliz...
Microchipping
Once Nassau County finally classifies a dog as dangerous under Sec. 6-47, the owner must have it microchipped at their own expense as recommended by the Florida Animal Control Association. The same subsection adds a fluorescent 'dangerous' identification tag and calls for the dog to be surgically sterilized, all paid for by the owner rather than the county.
Nassau County Dangerous Dog Microchip Rule
Light RestrictionsNassau County Code § 6-47(c)
(c)When it has been established that the animal has been classified as a dangerous dog, owners, at their own expense, are required to have such dog microchipped as recommended by the Florida Animal Control Association (FACA).(1)As an added form of identification, each dangerous dog shall be required to wear a large reflective identification tag using fluorescent coloring. The word "dangerous" s...
Pet Store Rules
Nassau County bans retail sale of dogs, cats and rabbits from commercial establishments, public thoroughfares, common areas and flea markets, aiming the ordinance squarely at puppy-mill-supplied pet stores. Animal shelters, local breeders and registered animal welfare organizations are exempt, and pet stores may still host adoption events for shelter or rescue animals rather than sell them.
Nassau County Retail Pet Sale Ban (Dogs, Cats, Rabbits)
Heavy RestrictionsNassau County Code § 18½-4
(c)Animal sale prohibitions and requirements.(1)Prohibitions. The following acts shall be a violation of this section:a.Any retail sale of any dog, cat or rabbit from a commercial establishment.b.Any retail sale of any dog, cat or rabbit from any and all public thoroughfares, public common areas or flea market sale.(2)Exemptions. The following shall be exempt from the prohibitions in subsection...
Pet Groomer Rules
Any grooming shop bathing, clipping or otherwise grooming animals in unincorporated Nassau County must hold an annual $100.00 permit from Animal Control under Sec. 6-43. A grooming shop is defined in Sec. 6-40 as a commercial establishment that grooms animals but is barred from buying or selling them, setting it apart from a pet shop or kennel.
Nassau County Pet Grooming Shop Permit
Some RestrictionsNassau County Code §§ 6-40, 6-43(g)
Grooming shop means a commercial establishment where animals are bathed, clipped, plucked, or otherwise groomed. The buying and/or selling of animals is not permitted. ... (g)Annual permits shall be issued by animal control upon payment of the applicable fee to animal control: ... Grooming shop ..... 100.00
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
In unincorporated Nassau County, a veterinary hospital or animal clinic is a permitted use in the Commercial, Neighborhood (CN) zoning district, so long as animals stay inside a completely enclosed, soundproofed building. On land zoned Open Rural (OR), the same clinic needs conditional-use approval and a 200-foot setback from any neighbor's house.
Veterinary Clinic Zoning in Nassau County, FL
Some RestrictionsNassau County Land Development Code §§ 15.01(C), 22.03(E)
(C)Medical and dental offices and clinics; animal hospitals or veterinary clinics, provided that no animals are permitted to be kept except in a completely enclosed and soundproofed structure. ... (E)Animal hospital, veterinary clinic, agricultural, animal and environmental science and research and educational center, animal boarding place, fur farm, dog kennel, provided no structure for the ho...
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