Leash Law

City of Ocoee Ordinance

43-2. - Adoption of county provisions. [Amended April 2, 1996 by Ord. No. 96-04; January 2, 2001 by Ord. No. 2001-03]

The city hereby adopts and subjects itself to Article II of Chapter 5 of the Code of Ordinances of Orange County, Florida, as amended by the provisions of Ordinance Number 95-32 of Orange County, Florida, effective October 5, 1995 (the "Orange County Animal Services Ordinance"). The City Manager, or his designee, shall be responsible for coordinating the animal control services within the city in accordance with this chapter, the Orange County Animal Services Ordinance and the terms of that certain Agreement for Animal Service Mutual Aid entered into on August 3, 1999, by and between the city and Orange County, Florida, as the same may from time to time be amended, relating to animal control services within the city. In the event of a conflict between the terms of the Orange County Animal Services Ordinance and the other provisions of this chapter, the terms of this chapter shall control. The city's Animal Control Office shall work in conjunction with the Orange County Animal Service Office to carry out the provisions of the Orange County Animal Services Ordinance and this chapter within the city. With the exception of a five-dollar surcharge which shall be remitted to Orange County for each citation issued in which proceeds are collected, the city shall receive all proceeds resulting from citations issued within the city by the city's Animal Control Officer pursuant to this chapter.

Orange County Ordinance

Sec. 5-33. - Animals at-large prohibited.

(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)
City of Ocoee Ordinance

Editor's note- Prior to its reinstatement by Ord. No. 95-32, section 5-33 had been repealed by § 9 of Ord. No. 91-8, adopted April 2, 1981. Prior to this repeal, section 5-28 pertained to seizure of animals and derived from Code 1965, § 3-10, and Ord. No. 87-9, § 10, adopted March 9, 1987.

Sec; 124-6. - Rules for use of City parks & facilities.

(d) Domestic animals in parks.

(1) Pets are permitted in parks if adequately restrained. Dogs must be kept at all times on leashes no longer than eight feet. All animal excrement must be properly cleaned up and properly disposed of by the owner or keeper of the animal.

(2) No person shall bring into any park any animal that constitutes a safety hazard or detriment to the enjoyment of the area by the public.

(3) No person having in charge any dog shall permit, allow or suffer such dog to enter upon or remain within any community facility, recreation facility, playground or any area in a park reserved for children, or to enter any sandbox or play apparatus area.

(4) Horseback riding is not permitted in any park or recreation facility, except as authorized in the case of a special event.

(5) Domestic animals, except for service animals, are not permitted inside recreation facilities or community facilities except in accordance with § 124-6.D.(6).

(6) Upon issuance of a special event permit, animals may be admitted into a recreation facility or community facility for the purpose of City sponsored or co-sponsored events, programs, festivals, animal shows, exhibits, fairs, obedience training programs and the like, or under a special event permit. The City Manager may deny such a permit if, in his/her sole discretion, the requested admission is inappropriate for the particular facility.

(7) This Section notwithstanding, no dogs or other animals, except dogs or other animals trained to aid disabled or handicapped persons, when any such animal is actually being used to assist any such handicapped person, shall be permitted at City sponsored or co-sponsored special events.