Orange County Animal Services
“Protection Citizens and Pets of Orange County”
Report Violations by dialing 311 or 407-836-3111
Or File A Complaint On-Line (click here)
ANIMALS
Schedule of Violations - Orange County
pursuant to Orange County Code Sec. 5-50.
Schedule of Violations
Category I Violations
(1) Refuse to surrender an animal upon lawful demand by the division manager or designee, an animal services officer, or to an employee of the state department of health and rehabilitative services county public health unit.
(2) Fail to comply with the provisions or requirements of any written notification of classification for a dangerous dog or a potentially dangerous dog.
(3) Fail to notify the animal services division that a dangerous or potentially dangerous dog has been brought into the county.
(4) Fail to control a previously declared dangerous dog or potentially dangerous dog, resulting in an unprovoked attack or bite.
(5) Fail to control an animal, resulting in severe injury to a human being or another animal.
(6) Fail to properly use a restraining device as defined in this article.
(7) Fail to quarantine an animal (i) which has bitten or is believed to have bitten a human being or another animal, or (ii) which is suspected of carrying rabies.
(8) Treat any animal in a neglectful manner as neglect is defined in this article.
(9) Abandon any animal as abandon is defined in this article.
(10) Fail to control an animal, resulting in an animal biting a human being unless such animal is reacting to a person unlawfully on property or protecting its owner or keeper from an unjustified attack or assault.
(11) Fail to confine a female dog or cat in heat (estrus) as required by this article.
(12) Sell, purchase or obtain a dog or cat for the purpose of human or animal consumption or to permit or engage in such consumption.
(13) Fail to trap by humane standards, including allowing an animal to remain within a trap for a period of time which is detrimental to the animal.
(14) Transport an animal in any open truck unless restrained by an appropriate truck tether system that is attached to the collar or harness of the animal, or such animal is placed in a well-ventilated cage or crate.
FIRST OFFENSE: $265.00
SECOND OFFENSE: MANDATORY COURT APPEARANCE
Category II Violations
(1) Fail to cooperate, refuse to provide information, or interfere with an animal services representative during the performance of their duties pursuant to this article.
(2) Entice or lure an animal out of an enclosure or off the property of its owner or keeper, or to seize, molest or tease an animal which is held or properly confined by its owner or keeper.
(3) Permit an animal to engage in habitual or repeated bothersome noises.
(4) Permit an animal to chase vehicles, livestock, domestic animals, humans or be at large.
(5) Permit an animal to act in an aggressive manner.
(6) Permit an animal to damage or destroy public or private property.
(7) Permit an animal to interfere with the reasonable use and enjoyment of property.
(8) Permit an animal to be an unwelcome guest on private property.
(9) Fail to remove excreta from animal owner's property, resulting in offensive odors.
(10) Fail to complete responsible pet ownership class.
(11) Fail to comply with the provisions or requirements for commercial kennel or pet dealer registration, pursuant to this article.
FIRST OFFENSE: $110.00
SECOND OFFENSE: $265.00
THIRD OFFENSE: MANDATORY COURT APPEARANCE
Category III Violations
(1) Possess or use a stolen, invalid, counterfeit or forged certificate, tag, or other document required by or issued pursuant to this article.
(2) Refuse or fail to have a current rabies vaccination for a dog, cat, or ferret as prescribed by this article.
(3) Fail to attach and display the required tag to a dog, cat, or ferret's collar when not confined inside the owner's residence.
(4) Fail to dispose of the remains of the animal within twenty-four (24) hours of the known time of death or discovery of death of such animal.
(5) Deposit or leave a dead animal on public property or the private property of another person without the owner's consent.
(6) Trap without obtaining permission to trap from the animal services division.
(7) Fail to remove any excreta deposited upon public property or another person's private property by any animal within the care, custody, ownership, or control of such person.
(8) Leave or deposit in any common street, lane or thoroughfare or any yard or enclosure, any poisonous or injurious substance which would injure or kill an animal.
(9) Crop a dog's ears or crop a dog's tail, except through the services of a licensed veterinarian.
(10) Sell or purchase for feed purposes, or to feed, any animal except vermin to constrictor snakes.
(11) Dye or color artificially any animal or fowl, including but not limited to, rabbits, baby chickens and ducklings.
(12) Sell, offer for sale or give away for purposes of premiums, pets or toys, any baby chicken, duckling, or other fowl under four (4) weeks of age or rabbit under two (2) months of age.
(13) Kill, attempt to kill, attempt to capture, molest, maim, injure, sell or offer for sale any wild bird or to mutilate, destroy or take possession of eggs of wild birds within the county. This prohibition shall not apply to lawful hunting of game birds in rural areas.
FIRST OFFENSE: $84.00
SECOND OFFENSE: $162.00
THIRD OFFENSE: $265.00
FOURTH OFFENSE: MANDATORY COURT APPEARANCE
(d) Any state statute, rule or regulation, present or future, shall prevail over any conflicting or ambiguous provision in this article to the extent of such conflict or ambiguity.
Other Code Violations
FIRST OFFENSE: $77.00
SECOND OFFENSE: $155.00
THIRD OFFENSE: $258.00
RESPONSIBLE PET OWNERSHIP CLASS
The Responsible Pet Ownership Classs offers a curriculum designed to educate citizens who have received citations. This four-hour class must be completed by the pet owner.
To Registered Call 407-254-9140
Bring a Copy of the citation and receipt from the Clerk of Courts.
Class is held at: Orange County Animal Services
2769 Conroy Rd.
Orlando, FL 32839
Sec. 5-51. - Violation procedures.
(a) Citation issuance. An officer who has probable cause to believe that a person has committed an act in violation of this article may issue a citation to the person.
(b) Civil penalty. If the person elects not to contest the citation, he/she shall pay the applicable civil penalty to the clerk of the county court within fourteen (14) calendar days after issuance of the citation.
(c) Hearing. If the person elects to contest the citation, he/she shall appear at the office of the clerk of the county court on the date assigned on the citation, by the issuing officer, for an arraignment hearing by a county court judge.
(d) Judgment. If the person fails to pay the civil penalty within the time allowed, or fails to appear in court to contest the citation, he/she shall be deemed to have waived his right to contest the citation and, in such case, judgment may be entered against the person for an amount up to the maximum civil penalty.
(e) Responsible pet owner education class. A citation may be waived by the animal services division manager or designee for any Category III violation, pending timely completion of four (4) hours of responsible pet owner education classes, the content of which shall be established by resolution, if the individual cited has not had any prior citations issued by Orange County Animal Services.
It is mandatory for any individual who receives a citation and does not contest the citation and pays the applicable civil penalties, or who is found guilty in a hearing by a county court judge, for the first Category I or second Category II violation to attend four (4) hours of responsible pet owner education classes within sixty (60) calendar days of the resolution of the citation.
Failure to complete the required hours of responsible pet owner education classes shall constitute a violation of this article of chapter 5, Orange County Code, and shall cause an additional citation to be issued. Such a violation will require either payment of the amount stated on the citation or appearance in court.
(Code 1965, § 3-18; Ord. No. 87-9, § 18, 3-9-87; Ord. No. 91-8, § 27, 4-2-91; Ord. No. 2005-07, § 22, 7-12-05)
Sec. 5-52. - Penalties.
(a) A violation of this article may be handled as a civil infraction.
(b) The maximum penalty for a civil infraction shall not exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00).
(c) A five-dollar surcharge shall be imposed upon each civil penalty for a violation of this article in accordance with F.S. § 828.27.
(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed as prohibiting the county from pursuing alternate legal remedies, including seeking to enjoin an existing or ongoing violation of this article, referring the matter to the Orange County Code Enforcement Board in an appropriate case, or pursuing criminal prosecution pursuant to F.S. § 125.69(1).
(Code 1965, § 3-19; Ord. No. 87-9, § 19, 3-9-87; Ord. No. 91-8, § 28, 4-2-91; Ord. No. 95-32, § 22, 9-26-95; Ord. No. 2005-07, § 23, 7-12-05)
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(a) Prohibition of animals at-large.
(1) No domestic animal owner or person having charge, care, custody or control of any domestic animal shall permit, any domestic animal to run at large, upon any public property, or off the premises of the owner.
(2) An officer finding a domestic animal at-large may issue a warning or a citation for such violation. If the owner cannot be identified and located with reasonable effort, such animal may be seized and impounded.
(3) No domestic animal at-large shall be permitted to cause injury, or threat of injury, to any person, or cause property damage.
(4) The owner or keeper of a female dog or cat in heat (estrus) shall confine such dog or cat so as to make it inaccessible to any male dog or cat except for controlled and intentional breeding purposes.
(5) It shall be a violation of this article for the owner or keeper of a dog or cat to tie, chain or otherwise tether such animal in such a manner that it has access to public property or the property of another without the consent of the property owner.
(6) Any domestic animal transported in any open vehicle shall either be within a cage, crate or pen, which is well ventilated and secured within the body of the vehicle, or restrained by one (1) tether, affixed to the center of the vehicle and attached to the collar or harness of the animal to prevent the animal from escaping or causing injury to itself or any person. The tether shall be short enough to prevent the animal's head from reaching the sides or back of the vehicle. Nothing in this subsection shall be deemed to prohibit the transportation of horses, cattle, sheep, poultry or other agricultural livestock in trailers or other vehicles designed and constructed for such purposes.
(b) Seizure of at-large animals; harboring and finder-ownership.
(1) When a domestic animal is at-large a person may seize such animal in a humane manner if the owner of the animal is unknown to the person and the owner of the animal is not identified by any form of identification. Any person, who finds a stray domestic animal, where the owner is unknown, shall relinquish custody to the animal services division or file a found animal report with the animal services division within two (2) calendar days after finding the animal. If the person desires to maintain the seized animal as their own, he/she shall maintain such animal for the time set forth in subsection (2) hereinafter.
(2) Any person who keeps a found domestic animal for thirty (30) consecutive days, and no owner is found, shall be conclusively presumed to be the owner of such animal.
(Ord. No. 95-32, § 6, 9-26-95; Ord. No. 2005-07, § 7, 7-12-05)
Dog/Cat At-Large & Nuisance
Definitions
Pursuant to Orange County Ordinance
Chapter 5, Animals, Article II, Animal Services,
Section 5-29
At-large shall mean:
(1) With regard to a dog:
(a) A dog off the owner's premises and not under a competent person's control by means of a leash, cord or chain; or
(b) A dog on the owner's property and not under control of a competent person or not confined or restrained by means of a leash, cord or other humane restraining device;
(c) Provided, however, a dog under supervision and engaged in hunting or agricultural or ranching tasks or a competition, trial or show, or designated dog park shall not be considered at large.
(2) A cat, off the owner's premises, which does not display a current rabies vaccination or identification tag.
Nuisance shall mean:
(1) Any domestic animal that disturbs the peace and quiet of a neighboring resident by habitually and repeatedly barking, howling, crying, screaming, whining or making other bothersome noises; or
(2) Any domestic animal that chases automobiles, other vehicles, livestock, or other domestic animals or runs at large; or acts in an aggressive manner; or
(3) Any domestic animal that destroys or damages public or private property or causes a serious annoyance so as to interfere with the reasonable use and enjoyment of public or private property; or
(4) Any domestic animal that urinates or defecates on public or private property without the property owner's consent; or
(5) Any domestic animal which is an unwelcome guest on private or public property.