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Pet Friendly Florida
A wide stretch of pale sand at Miami Beach with turquoise water and a lifeguard stand in the distance.
Miami

Pet-Friendly Beaches & Parks: Miami, FL

Haulover sunrise to sunset, three seasonal Bark Beaches, 11 Bark Parks - and the Miami Beach rule that bars dogs from ordinary city parks.

Miami Beach. Pets are restricted on most of the sand here, so check the local rules before you go.

Updated October 24, 2026 5 min read By

Miami has some excellent dog-friendly beaches, but ordinary pets are not welcome on every stretch of sand.

The strongest current options are:

  • Haulover Park Dog Beach
  • Miami Beach Bark Beach at 21 Street
  • Miami Beach Bark Beach at 53 Street
  • Miami Beach Bark Beach at 81 Street
  • Designated Bark Parks throughout Miami Beach
  • Dog parks across Miami-Dade County

Haulover Park Dog Beach

Haulover Park is one of South Florida’s best-known dog beaches.

Current Miami-Dade County rules allow dogs in the designated beach area between:

Lifeguard Towers 2 and 3

Current hours:

Sunrise to sunset daily

Dogs must stay leashed until they are inside the designated dog-beach area.

The park also contains a Bark Park.

Official page: miamidade.gov

South Beach Bark Beach — 21 Street

Miami Beach currently operates a designated Bark Beach at the 21 Street beachfront area.

Current seasonal hours are:

November–March: 7:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m. April–October: 9:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.

Dogs are permitted only in the designated area.

Mid-Beach Bark Beach — 53 Street

The Mid-Beach Bark Beach is located at the 53 Street beachfront area.

Current seasonal hours are:

November–March: 7:00 a.m.–9:00 a.m. April–October: 9:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m.

North Beach Bark Beach — 81 Street

North Beach Bark Beach is located at 81 Street.

Current city information lists morning and additional afternoon/evening windows depending on season.

Because the schedule changes by season and day, check the city’s current listing before visiting.

Current Bark Beach Rules

Miami Beach currently requires:

  • Dogs in designated beach area only
  • Leash outside the designated area
  • Owner carries leash at all times
  • Waste cleaned immediately
  • Collar and rabies tag
  • Maximum two dogs per owner
  • No aggressive dogs
  • No female dogs in heat
  • No digging in the sand

Official directory: miamibeachfl.gov

Miami Beach Bark Parks

Miami Beach currently lists 11 designated Bark Parks.

The city describes them as free public off-leash areas with amenities such as:

  • Double fencing
  • Water fountains
  • Benches
  • Waste stations

These are the legal city-park spaces for dog play.

Ordinary Miami Beach Parks

Miami Beach currently states that dogs are not allowed in city parks unless visiting a dog park.

Dogs must remain leashed while traveling to and from those designated spaces.

That is stricter than many Florida cities.

Miami-Dade County Parks

Miami-Dade County operates a much larger park system.

The county’s 2026 Park Finder can be filtered for dog parks, making it useful for visitors staying outside Miami Beach.

Worth knowing how the county sorts them: Miami-Dade runs dog-friendly parks where a leash is required, and separately runs dog parks and dog run parks where dogs may roam free. For the beach, the county publishes one set of dog-beach rules, and they are Haulover’s.

Key Biscayne

Key Biscayne sits across the Rickenbacker Causeway from the city and is where a lot of Miami dog owners actually go. It is a village in its own right, so its rules are the village’s rather than the county’s or Miami Beach’s.

Key Biscayne Village Dog Park, 450 Crandon Boulevard

Off-leash, open 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and free to use with free street parking – which in this part of Miami is the unusual part. Two artificial-turf areas split large dogs from small, with benches, picnic tables, shade, a bike rack, water features and water fountains fitted with hoses, so you can rinse a dog down before putting it back in the car.

The rules that will actually catch you out:

  • Nothing over 25 pounds in the small-dog side. It is a weight limit, not a judgment call.
  • No dogs under four months old – the same gate Fort Lauderdale applies, and a common trip-up for anyone traveling with a puppy.
  • Leashed going in and coming out, off-leash only once you are inside.
  • Three dogs per person maximum, and you have to stay in the park with them.
  • A valid license and an up-to-date rabies tag must be displayed.
  • No choke, pinch, prong or spike collars – take it off before you arrive rather than at the gate.
  • No dogs in heat, unwell dogs, or any dog declared dangerous or aggressive.
  • Children under 12 need an adult with them, and under-3s are not allowed in at all.
  • No food, no smoking, no glass. Use the exterior sidewalk to reach the entrance.

It is unstaffed and you use it at your own risk – the village can close all or part of it for maintenance, and can bar a person or a dog from it.

Hobie Island Beach Park – read this before you rely on it

Hobie Island, on the Rickenbacker Causeway, has a long-standing reputation as Miami’s dog beach, and the Village of Key Biscayne’s own parks guide describes it as one of Miami’s most popular dog-friendly beaches. It is a Miami-Dade County park, and the north beach reopened in December 2024 after a six-year closure and a roughly $14 million restoration following Hurricane Irma.

Here is the part nobody else will tell you. Miami-Dade County publishes dog-beach rules for Haulover, and Hobie Island does not appear on the county’s own dog parks and dog-friendly parks page at all. So the beach everyone calls Miami’s dog beach may be customary rather than formally designated, and we have not been able to confirm a leash rule or hours for it from the county. Dogs are very commonly there. That is not the same as a published right to have one there.

If it matters to your trip, call Miami-Dade Parks, Recreation and Open Spaces on 305-755-7800 and ask specifically about Hobie Island Beach Park before you go. If you want a Miami beach where the dog rules are unambiguous and published, use Haulover.

Beaches Are Not Interchangeable

Miami-Dade has many famous beaches, including:

  • South Beach
  • Haulover
  • Crandon
  • Sunny Isles
  • Bal Harbour area beaches

Do not assume dog access at one means dog access at another.

Use officially designated pet areas.

Wildlife and Dunes

Keep dogs away from:

  • Shorebirds
  • Sea turtle nests
  • Dunes
  • Marine wildlife

Miami Beach specifically prohibits trespassing in dunes and requires controlled dog behavior.

Heat

Best outdoor times:

  • Sunrise
  • Early morning
  • Evening

Best Miami Outdoor Spot by Need

Best all-day dog beach: Haulover designated dog beach Best South Beach dog-sand option: 21 Street Bark Beach Best Mid-Beach dog-sand option: 53 Street Bark Beach Best North Beach dog-sand option: 81 Street Bark Beach Best off-leash park system: Miami Beach Bark Parks / Miami-Dade dog parks

Haulover, South Beach, Mid Beach and North Beach have different hours and zones; the Miami-Dade County section of our Florida dog beach directory lists each one with its source.

More Miami Guides

Continue with:

The Miami rule is simple:

Use designated Bark Beaches and Bark Parks.

Do not assume the entire beach or park system welcomes ordinary dogs.

Sources