{"id":55713,"date":"2025-11-21T18:14:15","date_gmt":"2025-11-21T18:14:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/55713\/"},"modified":"2025-11-21T18:14:15","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T18:14:15","slug":"orange-county-animal-services-pushes-to-revise-20-year-old-pet-policies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/55713\/","title":{"rendered":"Orange County Animal Services pushes to revise 20-year-old pet policies"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Credit: Orange County Animal Services\/Facebook<\/p>\n

Orange County Animal Services is pushing for its biggest rewrite of local animal-welfare rules in two decades, introducing six major changes to Chapter 5 of the county code designed to protect animal welfare.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

The push for changes, said OCAS manager Diane Summers in a county commissioner board meeting<\/a>, comes as part of an effort to increase enforcement related to unethical sales of animals, reduce unwanted or unplanned litters, and overall promote responsible pet ownership and safety.<\/p>\n

Under the proposal<\/a>, animals entering the shelter would be spayed or neutered the very first time they are impounded (rather than the current requirement on second impound), as part of the effort to decrease unwanted litters and maintain populations. Summers said 86 percent of animals that enter the shelter are still intact, and that includes owned pets.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The organization is also proposing setting a minimum sale age of eight weeks for puppies and kittens, requiring valid health certificates and vaccines, and complying with \u201cpet lemon law\u201d disclosures for consumers. This would bring the county in line with state law and help to curb unethical breeding practices.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The county\u2019s stray hold rules would also be updated to help animals move through the shelter faster. Stray dogs without identification (microchips or tags) could be adopted or transferred to rescue groups after three days instead of the current five. For unidentified cats, the window would shrink to just 24 hours. <\/p>\n

Sundays would also newly be considered as hold days for strays under the proposed changes. Any pet reclaimed by an owner would be required to be microchipped for a $15 fee. <\/p>\n

The shelter says the shorter hold times reflect current shelter capacity and aim to keep animals from staying in stressful conditions longer than necessary.<\/p>\n

For community cats, the county would formally adopt Trap-Neuter-Return as the management standard. <\/p>\n

The \u201cDangerous Dog\u201d section of the code would also get a major rewrite, requiring $100,000 liability insurance for designated dogs, enhancing penalties for attacks and repeat offenders, making microchip tampering a felony and clarifying enclosure requirements.<\/p>\n

A public hearing is scheduled for Jan. 13, when the board will vote on whether to approve the changes.<\/p>\n

Orange County Animal Services, the only physical shelter for misplaced dogs and cats in the county, announced in September it\u2019s opening a new shelter in Orlando that is set to be the largest in Florida<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Orange County Board of County Commissioners approved a $49 million contract to build the 123,419-square-foot shelter on the same plot of land as the existing OCAS facility along Conroy Road. The two-story shelter will have the capacity to house about 265 dogs on the first floor and 200 cats on the second floor, making it Florida\u2019s largest shelter.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s expected to open by summer 2027.<\/p>\n

Subscribe to Orlando Weekly newsletters.<\/a><\/p>\n

Follow us:\u00a0Apple News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Google News<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0NewsBreak<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Reddit<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook\u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0Bluesky<\/a>\u00a0| Or sign up for our\u00a0RSS Feed<\/a><\/p>\n

Related Stories<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Orange\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tCounty leaders are hopeful that, with the creation of an incentive program, film industry professionals will be able to find stable local work\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Orlando\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tOrlando is one of just seven Florida cities to receive a 100 percent score in The Human Rights Campaign\u2019s Municipal Equality Index\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Allegiant\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\tPilots at Allegiant are looking for wages and benefits on par with industry standards\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n

\t