Payments should be directed to the County Clerk, Code Enforcement Intergovernmental Services Division, 111 NW 1 Street, Suite 1750, Miami, Florida 33128-1981.

You may also pay the fine at Animal Services Citation Section located at 7401 NW 74 Street, Miami, FL 33166 (see Shelter Hours & Location). The Citation Section of Animal Services is in Room 106 of the Shelter.

You may check the status of a citation  using the citation number, name of person issued the citation, the folio number or mailing address. It takes approximately 4-6 weeks following receipt of information on the citation for it to appear on the Clerk of Court Citation Search  

You can pay your citation at the front counter:

• Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Closed on Saturday and Sunday.

If you believe you have received this violation in error, contact the Miami-Dade Animal Services, Citation Section, 7401 NW 74 Street, Miami, Florida, 33166, Phone 305-884-1101, fax or mail proof of vaccination and tag purchase to:

Fax:     305-884-3447

Mail:    Miami-Dade Animal Services
             Animal Services
             Citation Section
             7401 NW 74 Street
             Miami, FL 33166

You may also request an administrative hearing to appeal the decision of the code inspector officer through the County Clerk, Code Enforcement Intergovernmental Services Division, 111 NW 1 Street, Suite 1750, Miami, Florida 33128-1981, phone 305-375-2333 or fax 305-375-2731. You will be notified of a hearing date by mail. Appeal by Administrative Hearing of the Notice of Violation shall be accomplished by filing a request in writing to the above address within 20 calendar days from the date issued.  Failure of the Violator to appeal this notice within the prescribed time shall constitute a waiver of the Violator’s right to any Administrative Hearings.

You may appear with or without counsel and produce witnesses on your behalf. You may be liable for reasonable costs of the administrative hearing upon a finding of guilty. You may be liable for the County’s costs and expenses incurred as a result of investigation and enforcement should you be found guilty of the violation.  Liens in the amount of unpaid penalties can be filed against your real or personal property and may be foreclosed.

If your pet is deceased you will need to provide a death certificate signed by a veterinarian to have the pet removed from our records. This will prevent your being issued a violation. Fax or mail the death certificate to:

Fax:      305-884-3447

Mail:    Miami-Dade Animal Services
             Animal Services
             Citation Section
             7401 NW 74 Street
             Miami, FL 33166

• If the citation was issued in error it will be promptly voided and you will not be contacted.
• If further information is required contact will be made by mail.  If the citation is valid you will receive a letter.
• You will be allowed 3-4 weeks for letters to arrive.
• You may call us at 305-884-1101 to verify the correction if you have any questions.

Failure to pay the civil penalty AND correct the violation(s) within the time specified, will result in accumulative penalties of up to twenty (20) times the civil penalty not exceeding $500.00.  If an administrative hearing is not filed within the time specified above, it shall constitute a waiver of your right to an administrative hearing.

• Be sure that the animal is registered under only one owner’s name. Example: If you use the husband’s name one year to register your pet and the wife’s name the next year, the pet may be listed twice under two separate accounts. Either the wife or the husband may get a notice of violation.
• Be sure the name is spelled correctly. If a name was inadvertently entered under an incorrect spelling a citation may have been issued in error.
• Be sure that the animal is registered under one owner with one telephone number. If you use a home phone one year and a cell phone the next year, your pet’s account might be duplicated. This occurs most often when one family member uses one name and a home phone number one year and another family member uses their name and a cellular number the next year.
• Be sure your address is correct. Example:  If the address was originally entered as “South West” and is later entered as “SW” or “S.W.” the computer may not recognize that there is an existing account and may duplicate the account under the new spelling.  Though Animal Services personnel attempt to check all possible spellings, mistakes do happen on occasion.
• Keep your pet’s account number from the first time you registered your pet. This will help to track down any of the above problems. Animal Services personnel will merge any duplicate accounts once they are brought to our attention.
• Veterinarians are now authorized under Florida statute to issue either a 1 year rabies vaccination or a 3 year rabies vaccination; this will be determined at the time of your visit with your veterinarian. However this does not exempt or preclude you from purchasing a Miami-Dade County dog tag each year. In other words, a Miami-Dade county dog tag must be purchased every year, even if a 3 year rabies vaccination is administered to your dog.
• Under Miami-Dade Code Section 5-8, you must obtain, and your dog must wear, a Miami-Dade County rabies license tag within thirty (30) days of it becoming four (4) months of age.
• The tag and vaccinations are due on the expiration date. Failure to renew on or before the expiration date may result in a citation being issued.

Animal Services sees over 32,000 pets per year.  Many of these pets have the same name.  For example there may be many cats and dogs named “Shadow,” “Fluffy,” or “Jake.”  It would be extremely difficult to ensure the correct pet was getting the correct information.