Osceola County, FL Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)

Section 4-30(a) of the Osceola County Code governs animal keeping in non-agriculturally zoned parcels inside the urban growth boundary, the zoning that covers most subdivisions in unincorporated communities such as Buenaventura Lakes and Four Corners. Chickens and pigeons are allowed, but roosters, quacking ducks, geese, peafowl, game birds, cattle, sheep, and swine (other than two permitted potbellied pigs) are specifically prohibited. Chicken and pigeon coops or fenced enclosures must be accessory and incidental to the principal structure, kept back at least twenty-five feet from rear and side property boundaries, no taller than six feet, and never placed in the front yard. The ordinance caps a residence at six chickens, and duplexes, townhomes, multi-family buildings, and similar attached units cannot keep chickens at all. Coops must stay clean and sanitary, free of insects, rodents, and offensive odors, and outdoor feed has to be stored in a metal container to keep out mice and other pests; birds cannot be overcrowded and each must have room to lie down, stand, and turn around without touching another bird.

Every chicken counts toward the household's overall twelve-animal cap under Section 4-30(a)(1), so a household already keeping four dogs and eight cats has no room left for poultry. Properties zoned agricultural get a materially different, more permissive set of livestock rules under Section 4-30(b) and (d), including swine allowances the residential rule forbids. Osceola County Animal Services enforces the coop and flock standards; a resident who believes a neighbor's coop violates the setback, height, or count limits can file a complaint with the department for investigation.