St. Lucie County Animal Safety and Pet Adoption

The county's Animal Safety Division serves only the unincorporated areas of St. Lucie County, so residents of Port St. Lucie and Fort Pierce deal with their own city programs.

The county Animal Safety FAQ names three jurisdictions: the City of Ft. Pierce, the City of Port St. Lucie and the unincorporated county, each with its own licensing program, and links an interactive jurisdiction map for checking which one applies to an address. The lost and found page makes the same point, noting three different animal control agencies work in St. Lucie County.

Calls for an Animal Safety Officer go through the 9-1-1 dispatch unit at 772-465-5770, according to the Animal Safety Division page; the division office at 772-462-8120 gives general information but does not dispatch. That page lists bites, welfare checks, sick or injured animals, loose domestic animals and livestock, strays and nuisance domestic animals as calls for service. The page lists officer hours as Monday through Friday from 8am to 5pm and, in a later line, states that beginning June 1, 2026, officers will work Monday through Saturday from 8am to 5pm. On weekends and after hours, St. Lucie County officers remain available for loose roaming dogs and livestock, injured or sick stray domestic animals and bites with severe injuries, while after hours wildlife calls revert to FWC.

Wildlife is a separate line. The St. Lucie County FAQ says officers do not trap nuisance wildlife or relocate healthy wildlife; they only remove sick or injured wildlife. For nuisance wildlife, the FAQ directs owners to a licensed wildlife trapper at their own expense.

Adoptions at the county shelter, 3404 West Midway Road in Fort Pierce, are by appointment from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Saturday except County holidays, booked at 772-462-8120.

The St. Lucie County pet adoption page sets the minimum requirements: an adopter must be 18 years of age, show a valid driver's license or state ID with a current address, and have landlord or parents' approval where that applies. Meet-and-greets are allowed with family pets, though not for cats or other animals, and household members 12 and under can join a get acquainted visit. Applications are first-come, first-served, approval for a particular pet is not guaranteed, and fees are non-refundable and non-transferrable. Adopters should plan to take the pet home the same day.

Every Fort Pierce shelter adoption comes with a wellness exam by a licensed veterinarian, spay or neuter surgery, age-appropriate vaccinations and deworming, heartworm testing for dogs or FIV and FELV testing for cats when age appropriate, and a microchip. Adopters bring their own go home gear: dogs leave on a fitted collar or harness and a leash that is not retractable, and cats travel in a secure carrier. The page also says the county is planning a new, larger facility with an Adoption Center, a Receiving Center and a Clinic for residents of the unincorporated areas of St. Lucie County.

Cat adoption fees at the St. Lucie County shelter generally range from $0 to $100 and dog fees generally from $0 to $600 for most dogs, as posted on October 22, 2026.

The fee section of the adoption page explains that the county's average cost per animal runs higher than its average adoption fee, and that fees help support long-term resident animals at the St. Lucie County shelter. For specific questions the adoption page gives the shelter number, 772-462-8120.

Since October 1, 2007, owners in unincorporated St. Lucie County must license every dog and cat 4 months of age and older within 30 days of getting the pet or moving in, according to the county pet licensing page.

A current rabies certificate is required for every license, and proof of sterilization for the spayed or neutered and lifetime tiers. Lifetime licenses also require a microchip. Failure to license can bring citations for each animal under County Ordinance 6-51. The county FAQ adds that part-time residents who live in the unincorporated area for six months or more must license too, and that annual licenses run one year from issuance or the rabies vaccination date, whichever is earlier. The rabies requirement itself comes from section 828.30, Florida Statutes, which says all dogs, cats and ferrets 4 months of age or older must be vaccinated against rabies by a licensed veterinarian or an authorized person.

City rules differ. The City of Fort Pierce FAQ gives two age thresholds. One answer says any dog or cat over 6 months of age in Fort Pierce city limits must be licensed, at $10 for spayed or neutered animals and $75 for unspayed or unneutered ones; another says all cats and dogs over 4 months old must be licensed with the city within 30 days of acquiring the animal or establishing residency, and that a county license is not required.

County licenses are sold in person at the shelter on West Midway Road in Fort Pierce, by mail, or through participating veterinary clinics.

The licensing page lists in-person licensing at the Animal Shelter Facility, 3404 W. Midway Rd, Monday through Saturday from 8am to 4pm, closed 1pm to 2pm. For mail, owners complete the Pet Registration Form, attach the current rabies certificate (and proof of sterilization for reduced or lifetime tiers), and send a check or money order payable to St. Lucie County BOCC to St. Lucie County Animal Safety, Attn: Animal Licensing, 15305 W. Midway Rd, Fort Pierce, FL 34945; in-person licensing is not accepted at that mailing address. The FAQ adds that participating veterinary clinics can issue a county license from the rabies certificate.

Once issued, the St. Lucie County tag must be fastened to a collar so it is clearly visible, and it cannot move to another animal or another owner; a rehomed animal's new owner has 30 days to comply. Lifetime license holders send the county each new rabies certificate to keep the tag active.

Strays picked up by county officers go to the county shelter at 3404 West Midway Road in Fort Pierce for a five day stray hold before transfer to partnering rescues or adoption facilities, according to the lost and found page.

The lobby opens by appointment for owners picking up lost pets, surrendering animals or registering pets, and the shelter posts photos of the dogs and cats it holds online. An owner whose pet is missing should file a lost report with the Animal Safety Division at 772-462-8120, file lost reports with the Humane Societies of surrounding counties, check local veterinary clinics and post flyers nearby. A person who finds a pet in St. Lucie County is asked to have it scanned for a microchip at a veterinary clinic first, then file a found report if there is no chip.

The three St. Lucie County pages do not match, and they also differ on the shelter ZIP code: the lost and found page gives 34982 and the licensing page gives 34981. The lost and found page asks visitors to schedule an appointment by calling 772-462-8120 during regular business hours.

Residential districts in unincorporated St. Lucie County allow no more than five dogs and cats four months or older per dwelling unit, citing County Ordinance 7.10.03, according to the county Animal Safety FAQ.

The same FAQ says residential districts allow only household pets such as dogs, cats and caged birds, not poultry. In the AR-1 district other animals may be kept if housed at least one hundred feet from any property line, and in the RE-1 and RE-2 districts horses are allowed on property of at least two acres, no more than two horses, stabled at least 150 feet from a neighboring residence and 300 feet from a street right-of-way. Dogs are not allowed on county beaches except Walton Rocks Beach, 6700 South Ocean Drive on South Hutchinson Island, the county's designated dog beach.

Storm planning has a pet piece as well. The county pets and preparedness page lists Pet Friendly Shelters for cats and dogs at Westwood High School, 1801 Panther Lane, Fort Pierce, and Treasure Coast High School, 1000 SW Darwin Blvd., Port St. Lucie. The page calls them a last resort with limited space, says pre-registration is strongly encouraged but not required, and notes that people and pets are housed in separate buildings, with owners caring for their pets during set times. The St. Lucie County hurricane shelters guide covers the rest of the shelter system.