Animal Care & Control

General Information

Residents must dispose of all fecal matter generated by their pets on public or private property.
Dog owners must keep their animals leashed at all times.
Residents are limited to 10 domestic pets per household, including a maximum of four dogs (Ordinance number 2003-3404, § 3, 4-9-03).
Pit bulls are prohibited in Miami Beach and their owners are subject to severe civil penalties.
Farm animals of any kind are prohibited.

Dogs are prohibited from city beaches except for the designated Bark Beach at 80 and 81 streets. Please see “Bark Parks” for other public amenities where dogs are welcome. If you live in a covenant-restricted property (i.e., condo), you will need to check your bylaws for additional restrictions.

Pet Licenses/Tags 305.884.1101
License tags for dogs are mandatory. Miami-Dade County Animal Care and Control Division enforces animal control laws regarding annual rabies vaccinations, licensing requirements, cruelty cases, and dangerous dogs.

Report Off-Leash Dogs
If you see dogs off leash, dog owners failing to clean up after their animal, littering, or any trespassing in our dunes, contact the city’s Parking and Code Compliance Dispatch available 24/7 by calling 305.604.CITY (2489).

SobeCats
The City of Miami Beach partners with SoBe Cats Spay & Neuter, Inc. and Saving Sage Animal Rescue (volunteer-run nonprofits) to humanely manage our city’s community cat population via a three-pronged approach:
Trap Neuter Vaccinate Return (TNVR): We help facilitate TNVR events with area volunteer trappers for community cats that cannot be adopted. The Kitty Campus, Saving Sage Animal Rescue, Sobe Cats, Operation Paw and Miami-Dade Animal Services Mobile clinic are all partners that assist the city in these efforts.
Adoption: We spay/neuter and place friendly, adoptable kittens into our pawesome adoption program at the Kitty Campus so that we can find them a loving home and get them off the streets. Adoptable kitties have gone through a brief quarantine process where they are dewormed, vaccinated, given flea medication etc.
Registered Feeder Program: We help our community cats live humanely outside via our Registered Feeder Program. Our feeders are an integral part of the TNVR program as they not only feed and provide fresh water to the cats, but they also help monitor cat colonies. Feeders follow best practices to educate on TNVR options and techniques so we can ensure the cat gets fixed and is vaccinated.
Help us control the cat population in your neighborhood by following these rules:

Register to become a feeder or trapper. We help train and educate volunteers on best practices for working with community cats.

No trespassing onto private property when feeding cats.
Keep feeding areas clean and out of sight by leaving food for no more than one hour.

Report new cats for Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR). Cats that have been spayed/neutered can be identified by a "snip" in the cat's left ear.

To deter cats from coming onto your property, natural deterrents include fresh orange and lemon peels, citrus scented fragrances, coffee grounds, vinegar, pipe tobacco as well as lavender, lemongrass, citronella and eucalyptus oils.

Registered Volunteers are always needed!

You can volunteer at the Kitty Campus, as a registered feeder and/or trapper.

Registered feeders are the key to our success as cats congregate around feeding locations, making it easier to trap, treat and monitor their populations.

Feeders are the first to identify cats that need to be fixed and to locate new litter of kittens while they are still young enough to be adoptable.

To become a registered volunteer feeder/trapper, please email info@SoBeCats.org.
To donate, please visit www.sobecatsspayandneuter.org.

Click here to visit Miami-Dade County’s Animal Services.
Click here for information on the Miami Beach Community Cat Program.
Sea Turtles

The City of Miami Beach is a nesting habitat for three species of protected sea turtles: Loggerhead, Green, and Leatherback. Nesting season in Miami Beach runs from April 1 –October 31. The City of Miami Beach has adopted a Turtle Nesting Protection Ordinance to minimize the impact of artificial lighting on hatchlings and nesting sea turtles and thereby protect the endangered species which frequently visit its beaches. Learn more
Iguanas
Iguanas are considered an invasive species in the state of Florida. Without natural predators, these animals have been able to multiply in record numbers — causing significant damage along the entire Florida coastline. Iguanas are a regional concern regulated by Florida’s Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
To further enhance remediation efforts, the City of Miami Beach has hired several iguana removal contractors to service public property, including parks, greenspaces, and near waterways, seven days a week in South, Mid, and North Beach areas. Vendors will be posting signage in the vicinity of their work.
Please follow the recommendations provided below to help deter green iguanas from private properties.
Potential Impacts to the Community

Green iguanas can cause damage to residential and commercial landscape vegetation and are often considered a nuisance by property owners. Iguanas are attracted to trees with foliage or flowers, most fruits (except citrus) and almost any vegetable.

Green iguanas can cause damage to infrastructure by digging burrows that erode and collapse sidewalks, foundations, seawalls, berms and canal banks.

Although primarily herbivores, researchers found the remains of tree snails in the stomachs of green iguanas in Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park, suggesting that iguanas could present a threat to native and endangered species of tree snails.

What Can I Do as a Property Owner?

Green and spiny tail iguanas are not protected in Florida except by anti-cruelty laws and can be removed from private property year-round.

The FWC encourages the removal of iguanas from private properties by landowners.

All species of iguana may be humanely captured and removed from private property without a permit at any time.

Captured iguanas can be kept as personal pets or can be humanely euthanized, but cannot be relocated and released at other locations in Florida.

For the welfare of any caught animal, traps should be set in a shaded area.

Homeowners that trap iguanas on their property can obtain euthanasia services from local exotic veterinarians, humane societies, or animal control offices.

Iguanas are protected by anticruelty laws, and inhumane treatment of them is punishable by law.

Deterring Iguanas

Deter the iguana by modifying the habitat around your home or humanely harassing the iguana using the following methods:

Removing plants that act as attractants

Filling in holes to discourage burrowing

Hanging wind chimes or other items that make intermittent noises

Hanging CDs that have reflective surfaces

Spraying the animals with water as a deterrent

Never feed iguanas directly or inadvertently by leaving pet foods or ripened fruits outside. Avoid planting vegetation that iguanas eat. Iguana-resistant plants include:

Milkweed

Some pentas

Citrus

Some crotons

Tough, thick-leaved plants

Protect valuable plants or gardens with cages or screened enclosures. Place a piece of sheet metal around a dock piling or tree trunk approximately 18 inches from the ground to prevent iguanas from climbing.

Additional Resources

Miami Beach Resident Discount

Report Iguana Sightings

Animal Care & Control

Animal Care & Control

General Information

SobeCats

Sea Turtles

Iguanas