Code Violation - Lake County, FL

[grenbean1]

Ok, so i am on 3 acres and are zoned rural residential in Lake county. I have owned backyard chickens for 10 years or more. I have never received complaints but i do have a neighorhood that backs up to our porperty. Could the county make me get rid of my chickens? I would have to move, they are my babies! I never thought about it before, i just assumed if i could have a horese i could have my chickens. Anyone know if i'm safe?

 

[Igarfy]

I too live in Lake County. I just bought the property and was told that in County areas I could have the chicks...5 little sweeties. I hope no one turns mine in. Does anyone know if they fixed the county ordinances? Thanks

 

[Busik]

Hey there. My name is Mike. I live just outside of Dora as well. I moved here recently from St Pete.. I want to approach the city and the county, But I think we should all do it together comprehensibly. If we all approach them with a simple plan as well as showing what other cities and counties in Florida are doing then we may have luck.
We can also try to approach the councilmen/women individually to see their views.

Interested anybody?

 

[Busik]

Hey there. My name is Mike. I live just outside of Dora as well. I moved here recently from St Pete.. I want to approach the city and the county, But I think we should all do it together comprehensibly. If we all approach them with a simple plan as well as showing what other cities and counties in Florida are doing then we may have luck.
We can also try to approach the councilmen/women individually to see their views.

Interested anybody?

 

[Busik]

Hi My name is Mike,
There are several reasons which are obvious. But first off I am a chicken owner. It is assumed that those of us that want chickens in Lake county are responsible sell-sufficient people who would be concerned about the welfare and health of the birds we own, not to mention the concerns neighbors would have.
Ok....
1. There are uneducated people who will end up owning dozens of birds in an enclosure that is too small, which encourages bacteria, virus and mites,and rodents.
2. There are people that will probably use the animals for sacrifice to their various island/afrikan gods. This is a huge problem in South Florida where Haitians and other cultures ritually sacrifice birds, goats, sheep, horses, cows, etc. to their gods. Search the railroads tracks for sacrificed animals.
3. then there are the idiots who for no other reason than to irritate their neighbors, get a rooster.

If the list can be expanded please let me know.

Mike

 

[diziness]

Good news for lake county residents, I just found out about this:
http://www.lakecountyfl.gov/pdfs/CountyAttorney/Ordinance_2013-67.pdf
This is a clear backyard chicken amendment allowing 5 chickens.
Now just to battle the HOA for clearance.

 

[tryingmyluck]

www.lakecountyor.org/.../Lake_County_Zoning_.. im in lake county i just got chickens myself you have to read though it they got stuff about live stock all over it but i sugest section 20 to start

 

[mkshrode]

I was wondering what happened with Lake county Fl, do they allow chickens?

 

[ArnoldoOfferman]

Yes.

https://www.lakecountyfl.gov/pdfs/CountyAttorney/Ordinance_2013-67.pdf

 

[EggsRUs1948]

Nonsense - here's the counterexample from an appellate court:

Pet chickens are incidental to residential use. In City of Sparta v. Page, 2015 IL App (5th) 140463-U, the appellate court affirmed the trial court’s finding that the defendant landowner was not in violation of a local zoning ordinance. The City of Sparta (City), a home rule municipality, claimed the defendant violated a zoning ordinance by conducting an unpermitted use in a residential district by keeping chickens at his residence.
In the summer of 2013, the City’s animal control officer discovered the defendant raising chickens at his residence and claimed he warned him to remove the chickens. The residence was situated on a one and one-half acre tract within the city limits where defendant had been raising chickens for approximately four years on the property using a movable fence. He considered his chickens to be pets and did not use them for any commercial enterprise; no evidence was presented that he sold either the chickens or their eggs. In March 2014, the defendant called in a complaint to the City’s police department reporting a stray dog attacked one of his chickens. When the animal control officer responded, he discovered the defendant had not complied with his previous warning and the officer issued a citation. The citation listed a violation of a City municipal code pertaining to harboring certain animals including swine, cattle, horses, mules, or game birds within the city limits, which was later amended to a zoning violation for conducting a prohibited agricultural use in a residential district. The trial court held that raising chickens was not prohibited by the code and that the defendant’s activities were not commercial in nature and, therefore, did not constitute agricultural use. The court reasoned the defendant’s use was merely incidental to permitted residential use of the property, much like having a vegetable garden. Moreover, the court reasoned the clear primary use of the property was residential and normal incidental uses of residential homes and property include having pets. While the zoning code does not specifically permit dogs, vegetable gardens, or fruit trees in a residential district, all of those uses are incidental to residential use and clearly are not prohibited. Source

I know, this is old - maybe you resolved your issue already. ​