Columbia County, FL Animal Ordinances: Chickens & Livestock (2026)
Key Facts
- RSF district
- Horses, cows, swine, sheep, goats, poultry banned
- Ag district
- Livestock/poultry raising a permitted use
- Animal-housing setback (Ag)
- 100 feet from any lot line
- Feedlot/commercial setback (Ag)
- 300 feet from any lot line
- Flock-size exception
- None; district-wide prohibition in RSF
Summary
Unincorporated Columbia County bars keeping horses, cows, swine, sheep, goats or poultry in the RSF Residential Single-Family district outright. Raising livestock and poultry is a permitted agricultural activity instead in the Agricultural (A-1, A-2, A-3) districts, where animal-housing structures must sit back 100 feet from any lot line and feedlots or commercial operations 300 feet.
1.All agricultural activities (but not including livestock or poultry slaughterhouses), including the raising of livestock and poultry, the production of dairy and poultry products, the cultivation of field crops and fruits and berries, forestry, apiculture, and similar uses; provided, that no structure used for housing of animals or any commercial feed lot operation shall be located within 300 feet of any lot line, and no structure used for housing domestic animals shall be located within 100 feet of any lot line. ... 4.7.4Prohibited uses and structures. ... the keeping of horses, cows, swine, sheep, goats, or poultry, and any use or structure not specifically, provisionally, or by reasonable implication permitted herein as a special exception.
Full Breakdown
Sec. 4.7.4 of the Land Development Regulations prohibits 'the keeping of horses, cows, swine, sheep, goats, or poultry' as a use in the RSF Residential, Single Family district, alongside commercial vehicle storage and unpermitted signs; there is no coop-size or flock-count exception written into the section, so the animals are barred from the district entirely regardless of number. The county's Agricultural districts treat the same activity as a core permitted use instead: Sec. 4.5.2 authorizes 'all agricultural activities... including the raising of livestock and poultry' and dairy and poultry production in A-1 and A-2, subject to a 100-foot setback for any structure housing domestic animals and a 300-foot setback for a structure housing animals in a commercial feed lot or for slaughterhouse-scale operations.
Small parcels inside a residential subdivision therefore cannot add chickens or livestock no matter how few animals are involved, while a lot zoned Agricultural can keep poultry and livestock by right within those setbacks. Property owners considering backyard chickens should confirm the parcel's zoning district before acquiring animals, since RSF, RSF/MH and RR all carry variations of the same prohibition, and moving to an agricultural exception generally means either owning agriculturally zoned land or seeking a rezoning through the planning and zoning board under LDR Article 16.
Violations & Fines
Keeping prohibited livestock or poultry inside an RSF, RSF/MH or RR lot is enforced by the land development regulation administrator under LDR Sec. 15.1 to 15.4: a written notice to correct is issued first, and a continuing violation is a second-degree misdemeanor under F.S. chapter 775, fined or imprisoned per F.S. § 125.69, with each day a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep a few backyard chickens in a Columbia County subdivision?
Where can I legally raise chickens or livestock in the county?
Does the ban apply to horses too?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Columbia County
How Columbia County compares: Best Cities for Backyard Chickens·Florida rules heatmap·Compare Columbia County to another location·View the Florida animal ordinances overview
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