FLORIDA - Please list your City here That Allows Chickens!

[Sleepy71]

Great to see some NE Florida members here! I, too, am in Jacksonville. My property is zoned Rural Residential, so we're allowed. The code states that housing for poultry must be kept at least 50 feet from the property line. My lot is 135ft wide and ~400ft deep, so we easily meet the ability to do this.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

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Check out the L.O.R.E project. First sticky post in this forum. No sense in re-inventing the wheel.

 

[rweyant]

Seminole county if you have enough property. 150 feet from lot line which is obscene.

 

[Captain Cluck]

Lake Helen in Volusia County (Central Florida) "City" is 2 miles x 2 miles square. Average lot size 100' x 100'

There is no real limit on 'pets' - i.e. dogs, cats, hamsters.

You can keep grazing animals/poultry inside city limits in residential areas as long as they don't roam, don't destroy the neighbor's property, don't make noise (?!), don't smell, and you have a 'buffer' of 100 feet between your grazing animal's enclosure and each neighbor's home.
This means your coop, run, pasture or even you whole back yard with stockade fencing if you keep your birds in the house and take them outside for exercise (even if on a leash) - according to Wendie at city hall. This is impossible for most of the residents since most of our lots are only 100'x100'.

I was told the code was written this way to prevent people with smaller properties from owning poultry or any sort of livestock (yet we can be overrun with dogs if we choose, as long as they're clean, quiet, stay home & registered with the city - though they'd really rather we weren't).

I was told I can apply for a variance or try to get the laws changed, but she wouldn't tell me if the code board was friendly toward urban farming or not. I am to ask my district representative about that. Also the variance application costs $$ with no refund if not approved.

I was then told that I should move out of town or over to the section of town that has larger properties.


You can keep hoofed animals on 10,000 square ft per hoofed critter - even tiny pigmy goats. This is to prevent overgrazing of pasture.

You can have 1 pot belly pig 100 pounds or less, or one miniature horse 29 inches at the shoulder (?!), but no 'food birds' in a residential area, provided you have the 100 foot buffer between your animal's 'enclosure' and the neighbors' homes. Poultry too small to be considered food birds are not addressed. Nor are rabbits.

Apparently Everything that is not a dog or cat or exotic is considered a grazing animal and the public must be protected from these vicious animals.

I have been forced to move my flock to a farm on the edge of town.



Seminole County, people in the city of Sanford are not allowed any poultry or livestock, no matter how big their property is.

In DeLand and Deltona in Volusia County, people inside the city limits are not allowed poultry or livestock. You have to be outside the city limits, in the county and be zoned agricultural or rural residential and have "enough" property. There are limits on the number of animals you may keep, but I can't find that information.

I am not certain about Orange City in Volusia County.

 

[Sleepy71]

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My FIL lives on S Sanford Ave and recently built his large run. He's on 2.5+ acres, but I don't know the zoning, or if he's actually "in" the City of Sanford. He's also doing aqua-culture, too.

 

[gingit]

Davie & Southwest Ranches, both towns are in Broward County. They allow chickens, but if the neighbors complain about the noise you may have a problem on your hand. Also - within Davie there are communities with association the do not allow chickens or any kind of livestock.
Good luck!

 

[AVIDHOMESTEAD123]

Unincorporated BREVARD COUNTY Florida does NOT allow CHICKENS. Per code (available on municode.com) ONE CHICKEN is allowed on property that is LESS THAN 2.5 acres and zoned RESIDENTIAL. Property that is zoned agricultural can have CHICKENS.
More information can be found on our website: www.avidhomestead.com including an article that addresses zoning classifications. We are working to allow chickens in Brevard County and know of others in Shreveport City, LA who are trying to do the same in the city limits.

Anyone who wishes to check out the website and see what we are doing is more than welcome to.

 

[magicsaddlebred]

I'm out in Odessa, and we can pretty much have whatever. But in Tampa, you have to have a lot of land for them.

 

[chics in the sun]

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St. Pete has allowed hens for years. Gulfport passed a law to allow them about a year ago. And unincoorporated Pinellas county is going to vote on the issue soon.

 

[chics in the sun]

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I didn't think that was the case in Tampa, just that you can only have up to five hens. But don't quote me on that.